ZAMMSA REFUTES THAT ITS TRUCK CARRYING MEDICAL SUPPLIES WAS INTERCEPTED IN BOTSWANA
The Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) has refuted information that was shared quoting Health Permanent Secretary Technical Services, Dr Kennedy Lishimpi that Zambian trucks carrying medicines were intercepted in Botswana respectively.
ZAMMSA Senior Manager for Corporate Communications Bradley Chingobe says contrary to media reports, no truck was intercepted in Bostwana.
Mr. Chingobe says only one truck was intercepted and that was in Chililabombwe.
He tells Chikuni Radio News that the truck in question does not belong to ZAMMSA but it was a private vehicle and none of the arrested suspects work for ZAMMSA.
He says the Agency has contacted Dr. Lishimpi, who the story is alluded to and he has confirmed that he was misquoted and has henceforth asked for the story to be retracted.
Mr. Chingobe says ZAMMSA strongly condemns the continued abuse, misuse and pilfering of government medicines at all levels of the supply chain.
He says the Agency commends the Zambia Police Service for their vigilance and arrest of suspects.
He says further ZAMMSA calls on the public to be alert and join the law enforcement agencies in the fight against the abuse, misuse and stealing of government medicines and medical supplies.
While in Livingstone yesterday Lishimpi, was quoted in the media announcing that a truck with medical supplies was intercepted in Botswana and investigations are underway.
Who is fooling who here? Were medicines especially ARVs from ZAMMSA intercepted in Botswana or not? Whether or not they were in a truck is irrelevant. Please check the ZNBC report by Angela Limwanya. In the video the MOH official tells the minister that medicines from ZAMMSA were intercepted in Botswana and that the team which was sent there confirmed that the batches originated from ZAMMSA. So where does the issue of misquoting come in? The MOH is rotten to the core. The new minister must go flat out to clean the ministry.
The Ministry of Health and state organs it supervises is staffed with extremely well-read people such as doctors, pharmacologists, microbiologists, accountants, nurses, procurement or supply chain specialists, hospital administrators, nutritionists. These are core members of Zambia’s middle class or professional classes, the very people Zambia should be relying on if it’s to make progress. This country is damned if these people cannot be relied on to take the country where it should be. And the last time I visited the Ministry of Health headquarters, I found out that there’s even a lunch hour prayer group.