TANZANIA: THE Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) has underlined a role played by its inspectors in ensuring quality of locally produced medical equipment and drugs for protecting people's health.

Authority's Director General Adam Fimbo stated recently that the inspectors have helped the medical industries, particularly local, to manufacture quality products that meet standards.

Mr Fimbo made statement when graced a five-day training for its inspectors with aim of building their capacity.

When addressing the inspectors, he urged them to be ethical because they are key pillar in ensuring that medicines produced in the country meet medical quality.

He said recognizing the role of the inspectors in supervising quality of the drugs, the authority decided to build their capacity in effort to strengthen further the supervision, hence, controlling counterfeit medical products in the local market that could affect public health.

"For us (TMDA) the inspection is our core work, so we do inspection on medical industries in order to ensure that the society does not get effects after consuming counterfeit products," he explained.

The authority has a total of 45 inspectors, though they can reach all places for inspection, but more inspectors are needed so as to conduct the more efficient inspection.

"The TMDA inspects industries, pharmacies, warehouses, among others, so we should have enough inspectors for efficiency," he stated.

One of inspectors at the training, Mr Bugusu Mweru from Lake Zone Office, said the training would help them improve their inspections in a view to ensure that public consume quality medicine that meet standards.

Apart from the training, last year the authority revised inspector's handbook which provide guidance to drug inspectors when preparing and performing inspection. It also serves as reference document for inspectors prior and during inspection so that inspection activities are consistently done and this avoiding bias and double standards.