ALL ZAMMSA STAFF SEPARATED FROM AGENCY IN ‘NATIONAL INTEREST’
Newly appointed Minister of Health, Prof. Roma Chilengi, has announced the separation of all members of staff at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) from the agency in what has been described as being in the “national interest.”
The sweeping decision is understood to form part of the Minister’s efforts to take full control of the Ministry of Health and address concerns surrounding alleged cartels and manipulation within the country’s medicines and medical supplies chain.
Prof. Chilengi is said to have opted for a fresh start at ZAMMSA as he begins his tenure, following persistent concerns over the management of medicines and medical supplies in the country.
During the Minister’s swearing-in ceremony, President Hakainde Hichilema directed Prof. Chilengi to take full charge of the Ministry and deal decisively with alleged cartels manipulating the supply of medicines.
According to a notice issued to ZAMMSA employees, all members of staff have been separated from the agency in the national interest.
The development is expected to trigger major changes in the management and operations of ZAMMSA as the new Minister moves to assert control over the medicines supply chain.
“All members of staff at ZAMMSA have been separated from the Agency in national interest.” — Health Minister Prof. Roma Chilengi
-Zambian Watch News.
The Minister of Health Professor Roma Chilengi should also take decisive action to remove or transfer staff within the Human Resource Directorate and Department at Ndeke House. These officers have allegedly caused significant harm to the Ministry by contributing to corruption and the solicitation of money from people seeking employment.
It is widely known in the public domain that some officers at Ndeke House allegedly demand huge sums of money, ranging from ZMW 10,000 to ZMW 25,000, from desperate job seekers in exchange for being placed on recruitment lists. This is not a secret. It is alleged to have become a normal practice, with officers reportedly even calling prospective candidates directly and soliciting money from people desperate to secure employment.
The Human Resource Department at the Ministry of Health therefore needs a serious and comprehensive overhaul. The continued existence of such practices, if left unaddressed, undermines public confidence, damages the integrity of the Ministry, and lowers professional standards across the institution.
If the Minister is genuinely serious about strengthening the Ministry of Health and tackling corruption, then the Human Resource Department at Ndeke House must also receive urgent attention. Action should be taken to investigate these allegations, hold anyone found responsible accountable, and restore transparency, professionalism, and integrity to the recruitment process.
The ACC can easily catch the bad eggs.by conducting a sting operation. The practice of soliciting bribes from job seekers has become standard in almost all companies.
This is how rotten our christian nation is.
It’s the same Ministry of Health human resource department that the jailed fraudster Henry Kapoko used to work for. It cannot possibly be trusted.
Ma jobs uko…tibwela…we are honest, we hate corruption we love Zambia,we want a healthy Zambia.