The Tanzania National Drug Policy gives the essential guidelines to achieve the overall objective of making available to all Tanzanians at all times essential, effective, safe and affordable pharmaceutical products of high quality.

To ensure implementation of this policy, it has been translated into a variety of activities and concrete plans, which cover the period between 1992 and 2000. This plan is called the

" The Masterplan for the Pharmaceutical Sector Tanzania Mainland 1992-2000"

(hereinafter to be called Masterplan). It is a comprehensive national plan for the procurement, storage, distribution and use of pharmaceutical products. It deals with a wide variety of aspects, relevant to rational and responsible handling of medicines, such as

• the organisation of public sector drug supply through Central Medical Stores (CMS)

• central drug management in the Ministry of Health (MOH) by the Pharmaceuticals and Supplies Unit (PSU), headed by the Chief Pharmacist

• drug regulatory matters (such as drug registration and inspection) under the Pharmacy Board

• local production of essential drugs by the Tanzanian Pharmaceutical Industry under conditions of Good Manufacturing Practise (GMP).

It is important for people, working in the health sector and responsible for handling medicines, to understand the implications of the Masterplan. Therefore the important elements will all be explained as clearly as possible in the following paragraphs.