Tanzania Health Research Coordinating and Regulatory Bodies
The Tanzanian health research architecture is supported by three main foundations, namely the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoH); the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology (MoCS&T); and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
The main bodies responsible for the coordination and regulation of health research in the country are: the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology; the National Institute for Medical Research; the Tanzania National Health Research Forum; and the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority.
Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH
COSTECH is the principal advisory organ to the Tanzanian Government on all matters relating to innovation, scientific research and technology development. It was established by the Act of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania of 17th April 1986.
COSTECH is a parastatal organisation under the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology. All major national research and development institutions are affiliated to COSTECH. Representatives from the affiliated institutions serve on the board of COSTECH, commonly known as ‘the Commission’. Members of the Commission include Chief Executive Officers from national universities and policy makers from ministries of both Union and Zanzibar Government.
The organisational structure of COSTECH is based on three main arms, namely the Commission which is the governing authority, research and development sectoral based advisory committees, and the Secretariat. As the governing authority of COSTECH, the Commission gives broad directives and guidelines to the Secretariat and its various committees.
The commissioners are triennially appointed by the Minister of the parent Ministry. The Chairperson of the Commission is a presidential appointee. Part of the Commission membership constitutes an Executive Committee to which the Commission can delegate any of its functions. The Commission is composed by members representing all sectors of the economy (agriculture and livestock, public health, forestry, fisheries, marine sciences, minerals, industry, wildlife); deans / directors of faculties / institutes that deal with research activities; and representatives from ministries that directly affect research activities in the country.
Internally, the Commission has established standing committees known as Research and Development Advisory Committees, which act as the Commission’s think tanks on various science and technology issues. There are a total of nine Research and Development advisory committees: Agriculture and Livestock, Natural Resources, Industry and Energy, Public Health and Medical Research, Environmental Research, Basic Sciences, Development and Transfer of Technology and Biotechnology.
The Secretariat is the executive arm responsible for day-to-day operations of the Commission, while the Committees provide technical support on how best to carry out its activities. The Director General heads the Secretariat and operates through the following organs: Centre for the Development and Transfer of Technology, Directorate of Research Coordination and Promotion, Directorate of Information and Documentation, and Directorate of Administration and Finance.
National Institute for Medical Research NIMR
NIMR is the key body that oversees all the regulatory issues of health research in Tanzania. It was established by the Act of the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania of 25th October 1979.
NIMR is a parastatal organisation under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The legislation establishing NIMR has vested its governance oversight in the Institute’s Council which operates through three committees. The committees include the Appointments and Disciplinary Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee, and the Medical Research Coordination Committee (MRCC). The MRCC has a sub-committee known as the National Health Research Ethics Review Committee that oversees ethical issues on submitted health research proposals. The Director General leads the management team composed of Coordinating Directors at the headquarters, and Centre Directors. The coordinating directorates are Finance and Administration, Research Coordination and Promotion, and Information Technology and Communication.
During its inception, NIMR had five centres, namely Amani, Mwanza, Tabora, Tanga and Muhimbili; and one station, Tukuyu. The centres/stations were founded on disease specific research, mainly malaria, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, tuberculosis, trypanosomiasis and soil transmitted infections. Today, the Institute has expanded both in scope and geographical span to include broader research disciplines and cover five of the eight zones of the country. Currently the Institute has centres and stations distributed in relation to the prevailing disease burdens. These are Mwanza Centre (Lake Zone); Tabora Centre, (Western); Tanga Centre, Amani Centre, Korogwe and Handeni Field Stations (North-eastern); Haydom and Gonja Field Stations (Northern); Tukuyu Centre (Southern Highlands Zone); Muhimbili Centre and Kilosa Field Station (Eastern). Three new centres are in the process of being officially established. These are the Centre for Enhancement of Effective Malaria Interventions, the Mbeya Medical Research Programme (Southern Highlands) and Ngongongare Centre for Traditional Medicine (Northern).
NIMR’s current five year strategic plan intends to stimulate change in areas of staff motivation, development and retention. This will be done through improvement in the scheme of a service incentive package and modification of the organisational structure to improve management and coordination as well as strengthening units with relatively low output, by boosting their resources so as to broaden the span and scope of their research activities. The current strategy further aims at: (i) improving translation, dissemination and utilisation of research findings; and (ii) strengthening the system of protection of intellectual property rights for the Institute’s ownership of research findings. NIMR’s current five year strategy budget is approximately USD 35 million (TZS 45,700 million), representing an annual average budget of USD 7 million. Annex 6 provides information on donor support received by the Institute for the years 2005 to 2008.
Since its inception in 1979 NIMRhas evolved from a disease specific approach to research to the current wider mandate that includes all health research at the local, regional, zonal and national levels. The Institute has been growing in terms of size and scope to keep abreast of the ever changing environment. The current major research areas include malaria, health systems, sexually transmitted infections, helminthiases, trypanosomiasis and tuberculosis. Others include non-communicable diseases and traditional medicine. Research carried by the Institute is guided by the National Health Research Priorities.
Tanzania National Health Research Forum TANHER Forum
The TANHER Forum is a non-political, non-religious, voluntary body corporate of partner institutions in health research. Its functions are based on the Essential National Health Research Strategy that ensures that evidence-based information is utilised correctly in the policy and decision making process. The Forum is a consultative and advisory body to policy and decision makers with regards to health research coordination, undertaking, collaboration, dissemination and decision making. It was officially launched by the Minister of Health in February 26th 1999 with the aim to perform the following core functions:
1. To promote and support health research in Tanzania;
2. to identify, update and promote essential national health research priorities;
3. to develop and update guidelines for the conduct of scientifically and ethically sound health research in Tanzania;
4. to promote and enhance the use of health research results for decision-making in policy planning and development;
5. to initiate and maintain consultation with development partners and other external stakeholders for the purpose of furthering the objectives of the Forum;
6. to facilitate and coordinate the strategic dissemination of health research results;
7. to promote capacity building for enhanced quality of health research and utilisation of results to inform relevant national and institutional policies;
8. to assist member institutions with the mobilisation of resources for health research;
9. to coordinate and promote institutional collaboration for an effective and efficient use of health research resources and to oversee/monitor health research processes and ethics.
The TANHER Forum present strategic plan has been designed over a five year period, with the aim to enhance the Forum’s capacity in carrying out its core mission and activities, as well as to become an effective national health research coordinator/manager. The strategic plan is focused on enhancing the Forum’s ability to respond effectively to its local and external environments; optimising the use of existing physical and human resources; and building effective networks and partnerships with key stakeholders.
Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority TFDA
TFDA is a regulatory body responsible for controlling the quality, safety and effectiveness of food, drugs, herbal drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. It was established by Act No 1 of 1st July 2003 with the function of registering all drugs which comply with the rules of the Act.
TFDA is a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Its mission is to protect the health of consumers against hazards associated with food, drugs, herbal drugs, cosmetics and medical devices through the performance of the following core activities:
- Product evaluation and registration;
- premise registration and licensing;
- inspection and surveillance;
- import and export control;
- post marketing product risk analysis;
- laboratory analysis for quality, safety and effectiveness;
- product promotion control;
- public education.
TFDA is empowered by Act 1, 2003 to grant authorisation for the conduction of clinical trials of drugs, herbal drugs and medical devices upon submission and examination of an application requiring the payment of a prescribed fee, the presentation of an ethical clearance certificate issued by any approved institute for medical research, and any relevant information as provided under the guidelines for registration of drugs for clinical trials.
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