Dr M.H.S. Chambuso, Faculty of Pharmacy, Muhimbili College of Health Sciences, Tanzania

In Tanzania, the pharmacy degree was introduced with support from the British Council and with assistance from the University of Aston, Birmingham, UK, as a three-year pharmacy training programme in 1974.

Due to policy changes and other influences, UPC was revised into a four-year programme in 1986, with financial assistance from WHO and DANIDA. The course became more attuned to the country’s needs, including a wider coverage of hospital and community pharmacy. The entry requirements are A-levels in chemistry, biology and either mathematics or physics. A pharmacy diploma is considered an equivalent qualification for admission to the programme.

UPC aims to produce pharmacists who are capable of functioning in all disciplines of pharmacy. An academic year is divided into terms. There is a period of 30 weeks of student contact time and nine weeks for examinations. During the vacation periods at the end of the second and third years, there are 12-week field attachments in community pharmacy, industry, and natural products growing and fabrication placements. Semesterization of the academic year will be introduced to replace terms and will consist of two semesters of 15 weeks each per academic year.