Team Member

Safaraz Ahmed, originally from India Mumbai is the Chief Pharmacist at Tasakhtaa Hospital with over 6 years of experience – 4yrs in Saudi Arabia –and 2 and a half years in Zanzibar.

The Pharmacy at Tasakhtaa Hospital is well stocked with well over 600 products; medicines, medical devices and surgical items – all well-known international and local brands. 

Sarfaraz has 8 pharmaceutical staff working in the hospital because the Pharmacy needs to be open 24 hours a day – to get the right medicine or equipment at any time of the day or night, seven days a week.

Sarfaraz enjoys the challenge of providing the right medicine as quickly as possible.  Not many people know that the way healthcare works in Zanzibar now is that 100% of all of a prescription must be provided by the issuing centre that the patient attends – so Tasakhtaa Hospital either has the medicines prescribed or sources the medicines for the patient through the hospital.   So he says Tasakhtaa Hospital stocks 95% of the medicine itself, and only sources about 5% from elsewhere.  

That is quite an achievement! My challenge is to source medicines and equipment which involves lots of networking, connections and relations with the providers on behalf of every patient.