STANDARD TREATMENT GUIDELINES & NATIONAL ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LIST - TANZANIA MAINLAND - Fifth Edition

Oct 6, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) and the National Essential Medicines List (NEMLIT) for Tanzania Mainland provide evidence-based, clinically approved recommendations to support quality diagnosis, treatment, and prevention across the health care system. This fifth edition is officially approved to guide health care workers and reflects updates aligned with WHO guidance and local/international medical expertise. It includes a national essential medicines list aligned with the WHO model list and defines antibiotic access categories (ACCESS, WATCH, RESERVE) to restrict and prioritize use by facility level, promoting availability of safe and efficacious medicines for common disease conditions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages464

Reading Time19 h 29 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents

Abbreviations, Acronyms and Symbols

Chapter One: Syndromic Approach

Pain

Fever

Cough

Convulsions

Shock

Dehydration

Chapter Two: Anesthesia

General Anesthesia

Local Anesthesia

STANDARD TREATMENT GUIDELINES & NATIONAL ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LIST TANZANIA MAINLAND FOREWORD The development and implementation of Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) and National Essential Medicines List (NEMLIT) is an important step in the health care system for quality diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases as well as procurement and supply of pharmaceuticals. The goal of the Standard Treatment Guidelines is to promote high standards of clinical practice and to improve the quality of health care to the public. STGs summarise recommended prevention and treatment strategies for commonly occurring disease conditions in the country. The STG/NEMLIT need to be updated periodically; and this is the fifth edition officially approved to guide health care workers at all levels of healthcare delivery system in the country. The guidelines reflect changes in the management of various diseases following recommendations from WHO and experts from local and international medical associations and agencies. It is emphasised that the choices described in this document are evidence based, clinically approved and are consistent with the already existing WHO and other national and international guidelines. Like the previous editions, the new edition comprises a National Essential Medicines List (NEMLIT) . The NEMLIT is in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) model list of Essential Medicines (EML) 20th edition of March, 2017. The NEMLIT should be used to restrict antibiotic use in health facilities to those selected as the most appropriate for use at each level of health care delivery. The antibacterials in the NEMLIT have been categorized into ACCESS, WATCH and RESERVE groups (as per WHO recommendations) . The ACCESS antibiotics will be prescribed and dispensed at all levels including dispensary and health centres. The WATCH group will only be allowed to be prescribed and dispensed from council hospitals. The RESERVE group consists of protected and prioritized antibiotics to be used only at tertiary level i.e. national, zonal, referral and specialized hospitals. This document reflects the policy of the Government of Tanzania of ensuring availability of safe and efficacious essential medicines to all its citizens. It is therefore, a key tool which should effectively be used to promote access to essential medicines to achieve maximum therapeutic benefit and optimize patient outcomes. All public health facilities shall abide to the NEMLIT for procurement and treatment purposes as the identified medicines are considered essential for the treatment of the most common disease conditions in Tanzania. However, comments and suggestions that may help us to improve the treatment guidelines will be appreciated in order to ensure that these guidelines continue to advance and remain adapted to the reality of the field. I am confident that all prescribers and dispensers will find these guidelines very useful. Hon. UmmyA. Mwalimu (MP) MINISTER FOR HEALTH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, GENDER, ELDERLY AND CHILDREN ii Standard Treatment Guidelines ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr. Mpoki M. Ulisubisya PERMANENT SECRETARY (HEALTH) Standard Treatment Guidelines iii TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. iv ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS................................................................. xvi CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................... 1 SYNDROMIC APPROACH .................................................................................................

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) and NEMLIT in Tanzania Mainland?

They aim to promote high standards of clinical practice and improve the quality of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, while supporting procurement and supply of pharmaceuticals for common diseases.

How often are the STG/NEMLIT updated, and what edition is described here?

The document states that STG/NEMLIT need periodic updating and specifies this as the fifth edition, officially approved to guide health care workers.

How does the document categorize antibiotics, and what does each category mean for use by facility level?

Antibacterials are grouped into ACCESS, WATCH, and RESERVE. ACCESS antibiotics may be prescribed and dispensed at all levels, WATCH from council hospitals, and RESERVE only at tertiary level such as national and specialized hospitals.

Oct 6, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle