US reduces Zambia’s help because of “systematic” theft of medicine

The United States has announced that it is reducing $ 50 million (£ 37 million) to help Zambia’s health sector due to the country’s inability to deal with the “systematic theft” of donated drugs and medical supplies.

This “difficult” decision was made after repeated warnings by the Zambius government to protect vital drugs intended for the most vulnerable patients in the country, said US Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzalez.

“We are no longer ready to sign the personal enrichment of fraudsters or corrupt when patients go without or have to buy life -saving medicines we have provided for free,” he added.

The Zambian government is yet to comment.

The abbreviations are separate to the freezing of foreign aid, announced by President Donald Trump in January.

The Zambian health sector is highly funded by foreign donors, but there are previous reports of widespread misappropriation and corruption involving senior health officials.

The United States is about one -third of the public health costs in Zambia, according to a statement by the US Embassy in the country.

But US officials have said they have discovered “theft of countries” of medical products that have been intended to be distributed free of charge to the public, but are now being sold by private pharmacies.

More than 2000 pharmacies in Zambia have been found to sell donated medicines and medical supplies in a one -year investigation conducted by the US Embassy.

“Shockingly, with these visits, 95 percent of pharmacies selling the types of products that provide the United States also sell stolen goods,” the statement said.

Nearly half of the pharmacies visited were found to sell medicines and deliveries donated by the US government, the statement said.

Other pharmacies have also been found to sell stolen medical supplies purchased by the Zambia government, the global fund and other Zambia donors, she added.

The US Embassy said it had presented its findings and proposed experts to stop the more thefts and to bring the culprits in April last year, but no action was taken.

“I regret that so far the government’s actions have failed to drastically demonstrate a commitment to protect American help and the life we ​​are striving to save,” the embassy said.

Zambia’s law enforcement operations focused on “low -level participants” and led to the arrest of “only a few medium -level employees” instead of investigating sources of delivery and chasing the leader behind the theft of drugs, according to the US Embassy.

Gonzalez said the United States “can no longer justify US taxpayers who continue to provide such massive levels of help.”

He said the cuts would affect drugs for the treatment of malaria, HIV and tuberculosis.

“This is not a decision we have made lightly,” Gonzalez said, throwing tears as he explained how the measure would affect Zambia’s patients.

The auxiliary abbreviations will come into force from January next year to give the Zambia government time to develop alternative arrangements, but he said “the decision was made”.

Since the Trump administration has taken office, it has reduced billions of dollars in global health programs, hitting African countries, including Zambia, where HIV remains a major threat, especially for adolescents and young adults.

Trump has announced the freezing of aid on his first day of service in January in accordance with his foreign policy, America First.

Reducing aid has affected health programs throughout Africa, including deliveries of critical medical supplies, including HIV medicines.

The bigger part of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs that provided health and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable countries, have been terminated sinceS

In March, Zambia President Hakinde Hichillema said Trump had “hit us on both cheeks,” stating that it is time for his country to strengthen his treasury to get his own medicines.