East African journal of public health
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East Afr J Public Health · Mar 2011
Availability and affordability of anticancer medicines at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
To ensure effective control of cancer, patients undergoing chemotherapy should get continuous supply of anticancer medicines. In Tanzania and other East African countries little is documented regarding the availability and affordability of anticancer medicines at the patient level. The number of anticancer medicines prescribed to the cancer patients and its cost implication is also not known. ⋯ Availability of anticancer medicines at ORCI in Dar es Salaam is not adequate. As a result, some patients are required to buy anticancer medicines from private pharmacies. In these private pharmacies anticancer medicines are too costly and most patients are not covered by health insurance to purchase their medicines. Efforts should be made to increase budgetary allocation to ensure adequate and uninterrupted supply of anticancer medicines to cancer patients at ORCI.