Introduction: The accredited drug dispensing outlet (ADDO), popularly known in Swahili as Duka la Dawa Muhimu (DLDM) are shops controlled by Pharmacy council under Pharmacy Act number 1 of 2011.The Act has specific premise standards for ADDO shops, and the owners must have a dispenser trained in ADDO programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of selected essential prescription medicines and trained dispensers in Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets shops. Material and methods: A cross section survey was conducted in 44 Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets out of 46 in five Divisions of Hanang district in Manyara region northern Tanzania. These Divisions were Balangda, Bassutu, Simbay, Endasack and Katesh. Results: The study found 44(82%) of the interviewed dispensers were trained in Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets programs. Also out of 14 selected essential prescription medicines which were assessed, only 60% were available in these shops. Conclusion: Availability of selected essential prescription medicines is not adequate, as 40% of the assessed medicines were not available, despite of 82% of Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets shops having trained dispensers, there is still a significant percent (18%) of them which are run by untrained dispenser posing risks of irrational treatment to clients of these shops.
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