Patient Satisfaction with Health Care Services Provided at HIV Clinics at Amana and Muhimbili Hospitals in Dar es Salaam.

\ud Since the establishment of free HIV/AIDS care and treatment services in Tanzania a lot of research has been done to assess how health care providers discharge their duties in these clinics. Little research however has been done regarding satisfaction of HIV patients with free health care services provided. To determine satisfaction of HIV patients with health care services provided at the HIV clinics and specifically, to determine patients' satisfaction with the general physical environment of the clinic and with services offered by doctors, nurses, laboratory, and pharmacy. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and Amana hospital. A total of 375 patients attending outpatient HIV clinics were selected randomly and interviewed using a questionnaire, after obtaining a verbal consent. Data collected was analyzed using Epi-info program version 6. Patients at Amana Hospital clinic were either very satisfied (44.3%) or satisfied (55.7%) and none were unsatisfied, while at MNH clinic 1.1% patients were very satisfied while (94.7%) were satisfied and (4.2%) were unsatisfied with health care services provided. Lack of privacy when consulting with doctors and the dispenser contributed to patients' unsatisfaction with the services. Most of the participants were satisfied with the services provided at the two clinics. However at MNH, a few patients were unsatisfied due to lack of privacy during consultation with doctors and with the pharmacy services.\u

Preformulation Studies for Generic Omeprazole Magnesium Enteric Coated Tablets

Preformulation is an important step in the rational formulation of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Micromeritics properties: bulk density (BD) and tapped density (TD), compressibility index (Carr's index), Hauser's ratio (H), and sieve analysis were performed in order to determine the best excipients to be used in the formulation development of omeprazole magnesium enteric coated tablets. Results show that omeprazole magnesium has fair flow and compressibility properties (BD 0.4 g/mL, TD 0.485 g/mL, Carr's index 17.5%, Hauser's ratio 1.2, and sieve analysis time 5 minutes). There were no significant drug excipient interactions except change in colour in all three conditions in the mixture of omeprazole and aerosil 200. Moisture content loss on drying in all three conditions was not constant and the changes were attributed to surrounding environment during the test time. Changes in the absorption spectra were noted in the mixture of omeprazole and water aerosil only in the visible region of 350-2500 nm. Omeprazole magnesium alone and with all excipients showed no significant changes in omeprazole concentration for a 30-day period. Omeprazole magnesium formulation complies with USP standards with regards to the fineness, flowability, and compressibility of which other excipients can be used in the formulation

Standardizing and Scaling up Quality Adolescent Friendly Health Services in Tanzania.

Adolescents in Tanzania require health services that respond to their sexual and reproductive health - and other - needs and are delivered in a friendly and nonjudgemental manner. Systematizing and expanding the reach of quality adolescent friendly health service provision is part of the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare's (MOHSW) multi-component strategy to promote and safeguard the health of adolescents. We set out to identify the progress made by the MOHSW in achieving the objective it had set in its National Adolescent Health and Development Strategy: 2002-2006, to systematize and extend the reach of Adolescent Friendly Health Services (AFHS) in the country. We reviewed plans and reports from the MOHSW and journal articles on AFHS. This was supplemented with several of the authors' experiences of working to make health services in Tanzania adolescent friendly. The MOHSW identified four key problems with what was being done to make health services adolescent friendly in the country - firstly, it was not fully aware of the various efforts under way; secondly, there was no standardized definition of AFHS; thirdly, it had received reports that the quality of the AFHS being provided by some organizations was poor; and fourthly, only small numbers of adolescents were being reached by the efforts that were under way. The MOHSW responded to these problems by mapping existing services, developing a standardized definition of AFHS, charting out what needed to be done to improve their quality and expand their coverage, and integrating AFHS within wider policy and strategy documents and programmatic measurement instruments. It has also taken important preparatory steps to stimulate and support implementation. The MOHSW is aware that the focus of the effort must now shift from the national to the regional, council and local levels. The onus is on regional and council health management teams as well as health facility managers to take the steps needed to ensure that all adolescents in the country obtain the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services they need, delivered in a friendly and non-judgemental manner. But they cannot do this without substantial and ongoing support

A study of the effect of extracts of Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss on Picrotoxin-induced convulsions in mice

Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss (Euphorbiaceae) leaves are used in Kagera and Coast regions for treatment of epilepsy. To confirm this claim aqueous and methanol extracts were tested for ability to inhibit picrotoxin-induced convulsions in adult Theiller's white albino mice. The methanol extract showed a significant protection of the mice against picrotoxin-induced convulsions (P Tanzania Medical Journal Vol. 19 (1) 200

Preformulation Studies for Generic Omeprazole Magnesium Enteric Coated Tablets

Preformulation is an important step in the rational formulation of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Micromeritics properties: bulk density (BD) and tapped density (TD), compressibility index (Carr’s index), Hauser’s ratio (H), and sieve analysis were performed in order to determine the best excipients to be used in the formulation development of omeprazole magnesium enteric coated tablets. Results show that omeprazole magnesium has fair flow and compressibility properties (BD 0.4 g/mL, TD 0.485 g/mL, Carr’s index 17.5%, Hauser’s ratio 1.2, and sieve analysis time 5 minutes). There were no significant drug excipient interactions except change in colour in all three conditions in the mixture of omeprazole and aerosil 200. Moisture content loss on drying in all three conditions was not constant and the changes were attributed to surrounding environment during the test time. Changes in the absorption spectra were noted in the mixture of omeprazole and water aerosil only in the visible region of 350–2500 nm. Omeprazole magnesium alone and with all excipients showed no significant changes in omeprazole concentration for a 30-day period. Omeprazole magnesium formulation complies with USP standards with regards to the fineness, flowability, and compressibility of which other excipients can be used in the formulation

Availability, Awareness, Attitude and Knowledge of Emergency Contraceptives in Dar Es Salaam

Contraceptive methods are useful in family planning and prevention of unwanted pregnancies. Studies done in different countries however have reported poor knowledge and low use of these contraceptives especially the emergency contraceptive pills (ECP). In Tanzania, the awareness and knowledge of women about ECP is not well documented. The aim of this study was to assess awareness, knowledge and attitude of female university students on ECP and the availability of these pills in selected medicines outlets located in Dar Es Salaam city. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out using a self administered questionnaire to assess knowledge and attitude towards emergency contraceptive pills among female university students. The simulated client method was used to assess availability of the pills in pharmacies and part II shops in the city. A total of 350 female students participated in this study of whom, 57 % were aware of ECP and only 14 % had used them. About half (49%) of the participants had poor knowledge on ECP. The study revealed that 42.3 % of the pharmacies and 30 % of Part II shops surveyed stock only one brand of ECP which was not registered by the regulatory Authority. To conclude, low awareness and poor knowledge on ECP was observed among the study population. Only one brand of emergency contraceptive pills was available in both Pharmacies and Part II shops. Unfortunately this brand was not registered by the regulatory authority. Key words: attitude, awareness, emergency contraceptives, knowledge, unwanted pregnancy

Examining characteristics, knowledge and regulatory practices of specialized drug shops in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Specialized drug shops such as pharmacies and drug shops are increasingly becoming important sources of treatment. However, knowledge on their regulatory performance is scarce. We set out to systematically review literature on the characteristics, knowledge and practices of specialized drug shops in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, WEB of Science, CAB Abstracts, PsycINFO and websites for organizations that support medicine policies and usage. We also conducted open searches using Google Scholar, and searched manually through references of retrieved articles. Our search included studies of all designs that described characteristics, knowledge and practices of specialized drug shops. Information was abstracted on authors, publication year, country and location, study design, sample size, outcomes investigated, and primary findings using a uniform checklist. Finally, we conducted a structured narrative synthesis of the main findings. RESULTS: We obtained 61 studies, mostly from Eastern Africa, majority of which were conducted between 2006 and 2011. Outcome measures were heterogeneous and included knowledge, characteristics, and dispensing and regulatory practices. Shop location and client demand were found to strongly influence dispensing practices. Whereas shops located in urban and affluent areas were more likely to provide correct treatments, those in rural areas provided credit facilities more readily. However, the latter also charged higher prices for medicines. A vast majority of shops simply sold whatever medicines clients requested, with little history taking and counseling. Most shops also stocked popular medicines at the expense of policy recommended treatments. Treatment policies were poorly communicated overall, which partly explained why staff had poor knowledge on key aspects of treatment such as medicine dosage and side effects. Overall, very little is known on the link between regulatory enforcement and practices of specialized drug shops. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that characteristics and practices of specialized drug shops differ across rural and urban locations, and that these providers are highly responsive to client demand. However, there is a dearth in knowledge on how regulatory enforcement influences their characteristics and practices, and what strategies can be employed to strengthen the governance of the retail pharmaceutical sector