Improvements in access to malaria treatment in Tanzania after switch to artemisinin combination therapy and the introduction of accredited drug dispensing outlets - a provider perspective

Table 6 Summary of changes in access to malaria treatment from the private retail sector

Dimension	Indicator	Difference	Change
Availability	Shops per 1000 population	0.24 in 2004 vs. 0.39 in 2008 (p = 0.05)	+
	Proportion of licensed drug shops storing anti-malarials	86% in 2004 vs. 98% in 2008 (p = 0.019) but not a constant trend over the years
	Proportion of licensed drug shops storing the first-line anti-malarial	86% selling SP in 2004 vs. 29% selling ALu in 2008 (p < 0.001)	+
Affordability	Median price of adult anti-malarial dose	SP TSH493 (in 2008 prices) in 2005 vs. SP TSH800 in 2008 and ALu TSH1500 in 2008	-
Accessibility	Population within 5 km from a shop	72% in 2004 vs. 87% in 2008 (p < 0.001)	+
	Median distance from a household to a shop	2.2 km in 2004 vs. 1.2 km in 2008 (p < 0.001)	+
Utilization	Number of equivalent adult doses dispensed per day	154 in 2005 vs. 330 in 2008	+
	Share of total sales through drug shops	49% in 2005 vs. 59% in 2008 (p = 0.036)	+

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