They got it wrong, pharmacy boss dismantles US drug theft claims
Chairman of the Association of Citizen-Owned Pharmaceutical Companies Gallen Sichilima, says the United States’ accusations that stolen aid-funded medicines are being sold in nearly half the country’s pharmacies is not just exaggerated, but dangerously flawed.
This followed a stinging announcement by U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales who said his government was suspending part of its annual aid package because life-saving drugs meant to be free, were being stolen from public hospitals and sold in private outlets.
According to Gonzalez, a survey of around 2,000 pharmacies from 2021 to 2023 allegedly found that up to 95% were stocking and selling donated medicine.
But Sichilima fired back live on Diamond TV ‘s “Costa” programme, insisting the numbers did not add up, starting with the fact that Zambia does not even have that many pharmacies.
“Zambia stood at 1,396 pharmacies. So the figure is wrong,” Sichilima said bluntly.
He explained that the survey methods used by the U.S. team were too simplistic and overlooked the real science of pharmaceutical distribution.
According to him, the investigators merely walked into pharmacies, bought drugs, and traced the batch numbers, assuming they were stolen from government supplies.
But that, Sichilima said, is a basic misunderstanding of how drug procurement works.
He explained that in many cases, both government and private pharmacies receive stock from the same manufacturer, sometimes even from the same production batch especially when the government’s order is too small to meet the required batch quantity for exclusive production.
“We are a small country and many of our orders do not meet the manufacturer’s minimum. So the same batch can end up being split between public and private sector. That does not mean the medicine was stolen,” he said.
By George Musonda
Kalemba
Can “bo litapi” provide real evidence for even making such a self incriminating statement especially on public tv??
1396 registered pharmacies correct,what about street pharmacies?do you have the numbers?
Ordinary citizens do not understand the workings of the pharmaceutical value chain. Every informed voice is welcome to help establish the truth.
This guy is delusional. Does he think the American embassy can release the report without having its pharmaceutical experts analyse it?. He’s bringing assumptions on TV. Such is ignorance
The “delusional” guy said there are only 1396 pharmacies in Zambia. I’m sure he is well informed regarding the same. The American said 2000
I don’t you if you can remember a country that claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and even evaded it. If they can make such a big error (if at all it was an error) on such a more sensitive matter, what about matters such as ours? They are not impervious to making mistakes. And is it a coincidence that such a report only came about when the US was already planning on cutting wastage, such as aid, of which USAID has already been axed?
I meant I don’t know if you can remember
Deillusion is much….
So the report of wrong? Get a copy of the report. Analyse it. The sampled pharamacies are on record unless they have since disappeared after the saga come out cause the owners now fear being caged.
Its about credibility, you expect me to belive this man over the entire American government?
Bane Please….this issue started before Trump came into power. Our own head of State made a statement and appointed PWC to do an audit. If this was a story like the Weapons of Mass destruction, if the state denying the occurance of drug theft? Why was Ms Masebo moved from Health to lands? There is some element of truth in the matter.
This Chair of some long named pharmacy body is the one whose background we ought to question, how credible is his story?
The entire Zambia there less than 2000 pharmacies? Walk along Freedom way and Chachacha Road of Lusaka and count how many pharmacies there are there? Then count how many in the outliers of Lusaka CBD. Along the line of rail? And the Ambassador says 2000 is just a sample. An entire Ambassador would debase himself and a career of trumpian lies and infactual information? How many Zambians cant keep a simple thing like time? And what are they capable of doing for a few coins? We saw how easily people debased themselves for PF. Where are they today?
Please don’t mix things up, no one is saying there is no theft of medicines but you have to look at the medicines supported by the US which are mostly life serving type like ARV and TB drugs and these are not OTC drugs. Now if I may ask you a question. Have ever seen TB and ARVs in any pharmacy?
Actually Americans buy all sorts of drugs ranging from antibiotics, anti malarials such as coartem and it’s testing kits, hemetics, diabetic drugs, ARVs and many more found in labour and Maternity including family planing drugs.
Ba Straight forward sure that those are the major drugs that they pay for? Or you are speculating? The discussion here is drugs. The tb and aids drugs you refer to MAY BE just ome aspect of the aid contract that they have with the Zambian government. Other drugs may fall under another contracts where the terms are different. Nothing about these complete know to the public. So you too are speculating. The Ambassador is clear on one fact. Drugs are being stolen and through a study that they did, and man not from a main stream Pharacuetical body wants to come here and feed us some story that doesnt make sense.
Our Journalist need to report from folks who are credible and speak for a cluster they represent that speak for a majority of players in a sector; not a clustet where this man’s organosation is a fragment of an isolated cluster.
The small fish has spoken. He even looks like a small fish.
The government has admitted already that there was indeed gross theft and corruption. They do not call you a small fish for nothing Sir.
Reject tribalism, corruption and oppression.
God bless Why Me and Captain Ibrahim Traore.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
“THEY?” You also….no sense of logic
In one wave you also contradict yourself.
Everyone that speak is part of government. This is just a loose cannon that cant find his tail.
The Ambassador spoke of a sample. And he wants to think his tu ntema of pharamacies will exist next year when they are less than 2000? He is just as much of joker like you. Toure…worshipper.
Not sure I understand this guy’s assertion. Obviously if you are ordering from the same source as the neighbour the supplier will have details against each of you. It’s not about size; it’s about how procurement and supply work! Banzanu have automated systems and they are able to trace. Imwe muli ndwiii mu vakudala!
Tell them please….kikiki…ati weapons of Mass destruction. Elo ba shu shu banu basala bad.
It is possible the US embassy made mistakes. The assession that 95 % 0f Zambian Phamacies sell stolen drugs provided by the US Embassy is plossible. It’s close to 100% and I’m not sure if the Embassy can prove that all the pharmacies in Zambia sell stolen drugs. It’s just impossible! Also the US Embassy supplies Zambia with critical drugs for HIV, TB and Malaria, and these drugs are given free in Zambian hospitals. You would need to be mad to go and buy these things expensive drugs from a pharmacy that are provided free of charge in Zambian hospitals? No one denies that of medicines, but a proper contest has to be put in place. The other issue contested is the totol number of pharmacies in Zambia! The number 2000 against 1300. The gentleman says there is no market for these drugs in Zambia, but that the drugs are stolen for export to foreign countries. While it feels unbelievable, the explanation given is very convincing and makes a lot of sense.
I agree with you on the first part but I don’t think it would be plausible for a small pharmacy which can barely manage to meet all trading requirements for them to manage to export drugs. Yes it is possible for large ones to do so but again the report was talking about local pharmacies which raises a question on how this is possible because the drugs in question are not OTC and cannot be brought from a pharmacy even if one wanted to.
Sichilima’s statements arent very well supported by facts and logic:
He says both government and private pharmacies receive stock from the same manufacturer. Yes when they have BOUGHT them. They cant be the same stock if some of them are a DONATION from the US.
A simple check at ZAMMSA registrar will tell you that there are more than 2000 registered pharmacies in Zambia not counting the unofficial ones in the compounds and the like. Together with those there will be more than 10000. This guy just wanted to be on tv and was probably paid to appear and refute for ratings.