SCANDAL; $65million worth of medicines imported from Egypt go to waste …Government has released K9 billion to pay transport and demurrage charges for the rotten medicines

By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

SCANDAL; $65million worth of medicines imported from Egypt go to waste

…medicines and equipment stranded in Beira and Lusaka since February 2023…

…Government has rekeased K9billion to pay transport and demurrage charges for the rotten medicines…

● In April 2023, the Ministry of Health and The Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) imported drugs and surgical equipment worth $65 million from Egypt

● the contract was marred in scandal as Government lied that this was a government-to-government arrangement.

● the goods were procured without proper laid down tender procedures to an agency that doesnt manufacture medicines.

●The procurement was faulty as the agency is not manufacturer of medicines but was expected to contract other Egyptian companies to source medicines to supply to Zambia.

● The Zambia Public and Procurement (ZPPA) was forced to approve a single-sourcing procurement where ZMMSA and Ministry of Health would pay the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement Medical Agency(UPA) $70million for the medicines and the 7% commission.

● Anyway the supplier contracted a transporter and sent the medicine containers to Zambia through Beira, Mozambique in November/December 2023.

● However both ZMMSA and the Ministry of Health failed to provide funds for border clearance of the goods.

● the medicines, IV Fluids and surgical equipment have been marooned since February 2024.

● When the trucks finally arrived in bonded warehousing and came to offload, ZMMSA said it cpuld only pay and clear for the nine of the 25 trucks.

● the other trucks have been marooned at a warehouse since February, 2024.

● This week when the matter came to public attention, ZMMSA hadtily arranged to pay K9million demurrage and other transport affiliated charges.

● However, the medicines are now unsafe for human consumption as they have been marooned in harsh weather conditions since November 2023.

As is typical in corrupt deals, when the deal was consummated and completed, the corrupt troupe focused on the next deal and left the medicines from Egypt rotting in Beira and Lusaka.

Another scandal is brewing at Ministry of Health and ZMMSA where the recent USAID Audit Report has revealed that only 10-15% of its multi-million dollar supported medicine and medical supply procurement reaches health centres, clinics abd hospitals.