Teaching pharmaceutical knowledge action medeor

Without pharmaceutical knowledge, no safe medicines

The importance of pharmaceutical staff for a healthcare system is often only realized when they are missing. After all, for medicines to help and be effective, they must be stored, dosed and taken correctly. In many regions around the world, this is precisely what is lacking: qualified pharmaceutical personnel.

This is also the case in Tanzania, for example: only a third of health centers can rely on the expertise of pharmaceutical staff. In rural regions in particular, there are hardly any pharmaceutical specialists. And even the staff that do exist have often received different training. This is because the standards at the pharmaceutical schools in the country vary greatly. Teachers have only rarely received pedagogical training, there is also a lack of training rooms and teaching materials, and for a long time there were no standardized curricula.

Together for better education

In order to change this, action medeor launched a Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP for short) in 2017 - together with various state actors such as the Ministry of Health and licensing authorities, as well as pharmaceutical colleges and associations and the partner Christian Social Service Commission (CSSC). Together, the weaknesses in pharmaceutical education were identified and analyzed and strategies agreed to tackle these challenges. A lot has happened since then:

• Teaching materials and manuals for teaching staff have been created
• Teachers have been trained in methodology and didactics
• Laboratories and libraries of four pharmaceutical schools have been renovated and equipped
• A round table has been set up to improve pharmaceutical education

Studying successfully

The main beneficiaries of this project are the pharmacy students. Sufficient teaching materials, a structured and standardized curriculum as well as well-equipped laboratories and libraries offer the best conditions for successful studies.

Faudhi trained as a pharmaceutical technical assistant at the Mpanda technical college in Tanzania. In the video, he explains why he is determined to become a pharmacist.

For better patient care

The second step will benefit patients in the long term, especially in healthcare facilities in the rural, particularly underserved regions of Tanzania. The aim of the project is, among other things, to ensure that graduates of the degree courses can provide a good supply of medicines and patient advice in these regions in the future.

Clinical pharmacy

We have also added a new topic to the partnership: Clinical Pharmacy. Clinical pharmacy is used in hospitals. Pharmacists are trained, for example, to better recognize undesirable side effects of medications and to advise medical and nursing staff in the development of drug therapy plans with pharmaceutical expertise. The aim of the action medeor project is to introduce clinical pharmacy in 19 hospitals across the country in order to provide patients with more targeted, effective, safe and ultimately more cost-efficient medication.

"Knowledge of clinical pharmacy makes it easier for me to identify, assess and monitor patients to prevent unwanted side effects. I am now part of the team that conducts clinical rounds, where I am allowed to interact with patients freely and within a team."

Lisa Masinde
Pharmacist and participant in further training for hospital pharmacists