About us

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT

The department was established in 1971 with the objective of to provide patient-focused pharmaceutical care in order to achieve definite outcomes that improve patients’ quality of life. In order to achieve this department is stuffed by registered radio pharmacist, clinical pharmacists, senior and principal pharmacist who oversee pharmaceutical technician, intern pharmacists, pharmaceutical attendants and students.

DEPARTMENT OFFERS
We supply medicines for inpatient services and outpatient services for the whole hospital. A pharmacist checks each prescription for appropriateness before it is dispensed, referring to the doctor or nurse if necessary.
For outpatients, we dispense medications and counsel patients on their medications, increasing their understanding and empowering them to take control of their treatment/condition.
For inpatients, we dispense medications for your stay in hospital and when you are discharged. 

THE DEPARTMENT IS EXPERT IN THE FOLLOWING SERVICES

• Responsible for maintaining supply chain management that includes forecasting, procurement, storage and distribution of medicines and medical supplies.
• Dispensing of medicines to out and in patients.
• Counseling patients on proper use of medicines and Health education.
• Provision of Medicine information to health care workers, students and the public.
• Provision of updates on stock status, arrival of new medicines and change of treatment guidelines.
• Extemporaneous preparation/compounding of external and internal medicines
• In house preparation of sterile pharmaceuticals such as I.V fluids, eye drops etc.
• Radiolebeling of cold kits for diagnostic and radiotherapy (done in radiopharmacy).
• Pharmacovigilance- monitoring and collection of ADR informations and reporting.
• Field training of interns and pharmacy students.
• Provision of care and Treatment services for people living with HIV AIDS (HAART/ARVs).
  - On job training and teaching in the school of pharmacy (CUHAS).
  - Liase with internal and external partners for in -kind support of the department and hospital at large.
• Quality control of human medicines using GPHF mini lab

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• The department has managed to produce in house, IV fluids that are not normally available at MSD. Such as neonatal fluid
• Has operational department information system to track stock.
• Is the first pharmacy department in the country to provide radiopharmaceutical services.
• Department performs quality control of human medicines using GPHF mini lab to fight counterfeit and sub standard drugs.
• It is one of the hospital pillars from which its personnel supervise successful projects such as Hospital workers safety, Hospital quality improvement, infection prevention and control as well as community pharmacy (new Bugando Pharmacy) which are all coordinated by personnel from Pharmacy department.
• Compounding of medicines not readily available to the market in the required Formulation.
• A resource centre for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that acts as a resource for training and other kind of expertise in Pharmaceuticals.
• A zonal drug information Centre.