TANZANIA 5. Medical Stores Department (MSD) Category 1 - WEBSITE www.msd.or.tz The website is current and updated but lacks some basic information such as contact address, telephone numbers of the organization. The only way to access these is by emailing them or login in as a member. n = 20 Yes No Partial Additional Information • The website provides updated information (up to June, 2013). a) A description of its powers as well as data on the organizational structure, the functions, and the responsibilities of the administration? • The website shows power, structure, function and responsibilities of administration. b) A list of laws, acts etc. issued within the scope of its powers? • The website provides Acts, and the terms and conditions. 1. Does this website contain up to date information? 2. Does the website contain: c) Reports, policies, programs? • No report or policies program shown on the website. d) Budget and expenditure? • No information about budget and expenditure provided on the website. e) Information about procurement procedures, signed contracts? • The website shows information about procurement procedures signed contacts. Eg. General Procurement Notice (GPN) 2012/2013. f) Vacancies and employment procedures? • No vacancy and employment procedures. g) The name, the address, the telephone number and the working hours of the respective institution? • The website does not provide for address, telephone number and working hours. h) The contact details of public officials? • No contact details of public official provided on the website. i) A mechanism to request and receive a response to electronic messages and requests for information? • There is a mechanism to request and receive and responding to the electronic massages for more information Total Score: 9/20 Category 2- Request for Information The following questions were sent to the Medical Stores Department: 1. MSD has a near monopoly on the national medical supply chain for Tanzania’s public facilities. You purchase medicines and supplies using government funding. Could you please tell me your budget line for every year? Is it adequate to meet patients’ demand? 2. Apart from the government, where else does the MSD get funding? What are the policies guiding these funds? 3. There have been complaints from some communities of getting expired medical supplies from the agency, even reports by the Controller and Auditor General [CAG] showed that medicines worth 8bn/- had expired while in the hands of the department. How can you explain these issues? 4. According to the reports by the CAG, part of the problem was discovered in your inventory management system. What have you done so far to make sure the system provides greater internal stock management and fraud controls? 5. What have been the department’s success stories? 89