WHERE ARE THE AMBULANCES? ENOUGH WITH THE CORRUPTION!
By Richard Bravo Mulenga, SP Deputy National Youth Secretary
This ambulance scandal is a disgrace, and Zambians deserve answers. The government gave $13 million to two companies, ACE Pharmaceuticals and Aqueous Investments, to deliver 156 ambulances. What do we have to show for it? Just 11 out of 156 questionable vehicles that aren’t even proper ambulances have been delivered.
The deadlines keep getting extended, and still, nothing happens. Now we hear these companies are trying to buy old, abandoned cars in Dubai, fix them up, and pass them off as ambulances. Is this what $13 million of taxpayer money was meant for? We need answers as soon as yesterday.
The pressing questions that demand immediate answers are:
1. Why were these companies awarded the contract in the first place?
2. How could such a critical deal be handed to companies with no proven track record or capacity to deliver?
3. Who approved this arrangement despite clear signs of incompetence and fraud?
4. Most importantly, why are the police and government allowing these criminals to walk free while public hospitals remain overwhelmed and under-resourced?
Meanwhile, the owners of these companies are living lavish lives, building mansions in Lusaka, and bribing officials to cover up their theft. Yet our people are dying because there are no ambulances to take them to the hospital.
This is unacceptable and this government must act now to cancel these contracts without further delay, there’s no room for more lies or excuses. Every dollar of the $13 million must be recovered because it belongs to the people of Zambia, not to corrupt individuals who have looted public funds.
The culprits behind this outright theft must be arrested and face justice. Allowing them to walk free is an insult to the citizens who are suffering due to their greed. Furthermore, ZAMMSA needs urgent reform, as it has become a breeding ground for corruption. Without serious changes, scandals like this will keep happening, hurting the people who need help the most.
This isn’t just about missing ambulances. It’s about lives lost because of greed. People in rural areas are suffering. Cholera is spreading. Pregnant women can’t get to clinics. Emergencies are turning into funerals.
Let this government hear this,: if you won’t fight corruption, the people of Zambia will hold you accountable. This kind of rot is what destroys trust in government. Stop the stories, stop the lies, and do what’s right for the people.