US FREEZES K1.4 BILLION MEDICAL AID TO ZAMBIA AMIDST THEFT CONCERNS

US FREEZES K1.4 BILLION MEDICAL AID TO ZAMBIA AMIDST THEFT CONCERNS

The United States says it is slashing up to K1.4 billion in annual medical support to Zambia due failure by the government to act on systematic theft of donated medications and medical supplies.

US Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzales said the decision followed more than a year of minimal action by the government despite repeated warnings and offers of assistance.

“In the face of minimal responsive action by the government, the United States is taking necessary steps to safeguard, and ensure the accountability of, American taxpayer funds,” he said.

Gonzales said the United States had provided this aid in good faith to help save lives, but could no longer justify the spending in the face of what he called gross theft and mismanagement.

He said between 2021 and 2023, ‘buyers’ from the United Stated  visited more than 2,000 pharmacies across the country and found that 95 percent were selling stolen medicines, many of which had been donated by US government.

He said 45 percent of those pharmacies were specifically selling medications meant to be given freely to Zambians, including antiretrovirals and other life-saving drugs.

“In all ten provinces, nearly half of the pharmacies that were selling the kinds of products the United States provides for free for the Zambian people were selling stolen medications and medical supplies donated by the U.S. government,” Gonzales said.
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