Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) has launched a new Vigilance Technical Committee (VTC) for controlling medicines, vaccines, medical devices and diagnostics in a move to strengthen protection of people’s health and environment.
The ten-member committee comprises medical and pharmaceutical professionals from different medical institutions.
Prior to its launching at the weekend, the team had gone through capacity building training held in Kibaha District, Coast Region.
The training was facilitated by the USAID Medicines, Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaps) programme.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, TMDA Acting Director General Dr Yonah Mwalwisi said the 5th committee has legal mandates of dealing with effects of medicines and medical devices.
It will be advising the TMDA upon making follow up on the medicines and medical devices in the market.
Dr Mwalwisi explained that the team will be ensuring that effects of medicines are reported timely so that the authority could make scientific reports regarding particular medical products.
“Our country now receives Covid-19 vaccines, so this committee is important for ensuring that the effects of vaccines are reported,” he said.
Since the authority started having such a committee in 2008, more people and medical staff have increasingly been giving information over cases of effects of medical products.
The number of reported cases has increased from 3000 in the past 10 years to between 6000 and 8000 a year currently.
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) requires that a country collect at least 12,000 reported cases.
Equally, he was optimistic that through the new committee more people would be reporting the effects of medical products upon consuming them in order to protect the health and lives of Tanzanians.
Commenting, MTaps programme director Edgar Lusaya said the committee had experienced professionals from institutions such as Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC).
He challenged the members of the committee to ensure that they work diligently to make drugs and medical devices safe.
“Medicines and vaccines safety is very crucial particularly during this time of Covid-19 pandemic,” Dr Lusaya stated.
One of the committee’s members, Dr Betty Maganda from the MUHAS, said the training was very helpful in preparing them for the task ahead.
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