Ambulance Scandal; Only 47 ambulances out of 156 delivered with one month remaining
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba Wrote;
The ambulances bought under Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by Ministry of Local Government at a cost of $13million, with the contract signed in June 2023 and a delivery timeline of 16-20 weeks, two years on, continue to be delayed.
Only 47 out 156 ambulances have been received as of March 6, 2025, raising more concerns.
The delivery of the ambulances was expected to be completed by June 2024.
Despite the procurement process being completed and the contract signed, only 11 ambulances were delivered initially, and later 18 and 18 more were received, bringing the total to 47 ambulances delivered so far.
Nicholas Phiri, Local Government Permanent Secretary Technical Services has vehemently defended the corrupt purchase.
He dismissed concerns that the contract should have been given to a franchise holder.
He claims that the contract was given to local companies to support local content and help abide by CDF procurement regulations.
But the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee flagged the purchase and supply of the 156 ambulances as highly irregular especially that Ace Pharmaceuticals, the company contracted to deliver some of the 156 ambulances, was owned by a foreign national recently resident in Zambia,Surjit Singh Sahni.
This breached CDF guidelines and the Zambia Public Procurement Authority Guidance on Constituency Development Fund Procurements contained in Circular No.1 ( ZPPA/101/14/6) of 2023.
Ace Pharmaceuticals took Phiri to Dubai to an auto body workshop garage to witness the rugged panel conversions of Toyota Landcruisers into ambulances.
The 11 Ambulances were being fitted with a scoop stretcher and a spine board, suction machine, patient monitor, extrication collar, head immobilizer, manual sphygmomanometer, portable defibrillator and oxygen tanks.
The patient area had a high roof and were fitted with a stretcher and mounting base, cabin ceiling services panel, double rear doors, a rear step, and separate air conditioning.
Briefing Parliament in December 2024,Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Gary Nkombo assured Parliament that 50 ambulances would be delivered by December 31, 2024, with the remaining 106 to be delivered before the final deadline of 31st May 2025.
The 50 ambulances did not arrive but 3 months later, Phiri took journalists to the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency ( ZMMSA) yard to show the 18 ambulances delivered.
Ace Pharmaceuticals is enjoying strange institutional support with seven supply contracts with ZMMSA.
The time is ticking as the ambulance corruption saga continues.