Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE prices of some medical equipment imported into the country have dropped by between 40 and 50 per cent after the Medical Stores Department (MSD) struck contracts with 15 manufacturers.
The manufacturers are mainly from the industrialised countries of Germany, France, UK, China, India and USA, among others.
MSD Quality Assurance Senior Officer Joseph Kitukulu noted recently that the signing of contracts with manufacturers have significantly reduced the prices of key laboratory diagnostic equipment and haemodialysis since the move kept out middlemen who had been inflating the prices.
Mr Kitukulu pointed out that under the agreements, the MSD purchases medical equipment directly from the manufacturers then it sells them to health services providers in the country at lower prices.
He argued that previously the health services providers were buying medical laboratory equipment and haematology analysers at high prices, thus, forcing them to charge patients highly for such services.
“But, with this new initiative prices of diagnosis machines and haematology analysers have dropped by between 40 and 50 per cent, thus enabling hospitals to lower their charges and Tanzanians can enjoy cost relief in health services,” said Mr Kitukulu during a Media-MSD engagement workshop held in Dar es Salaam last week.
He mentioned, for instance, that local hospitals could now get the haematology analyser from the MSD at a price of 50 per cent off compared to previous price.
Mr Kitukulu further explained that the MSD has already purchased several diagnostic equipment, including the haematology analysers, with the view of supplying them to all health centres as well as district and regional hospitals countrywide.
The distribution of the equipment by December this year would be coordinated by the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children.
“We are expecting that diagnostic services will be more affordable to Tanzanians. Without diagnosis, medicine is blind,” he argued.
Likewise, price of Dialysis machine is down by 40 per cent, something which will lead to reduced cost for dialysis from over 200,000/- currently to less than 100,000/-.
Dialysis is a treatment that filters and purifies the blood using a Dialyser. This helps keep fluids and electrolytes in balance when the kidneys can’t do their job.
Patient is required to go for dialysis regularly, two or three times in a week, which makes the service unaffordable to most Tanzanians.
Eelier, when addressing journalists at the workshop, MSD Director General, Major General Gabriel Mhidze, said the department has in the past one year ventured into establishing seven key pharmaceutical industries to address high demand and prices of medicines and medical devices upon outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic created global shortage of the products due to increased demand and travel restrictions.
According to Maj Gen Mhidze the crisis pushed the authority to embark on emergency intervention strategies to rescue Tanzanians, including introducing industries to avoid dependence on imported drugs and medical supplies.
Maj Gen Mhidze said 16bn/- has been so far spent to implement projects in Dar es Salaam and Njombe regions, with construction of two industries in Dar es Salaam completed and already in operation. In Njombe the authority is constructing four industries while in Dar es Salaam three industries have been established.
