Zambians Afraid To Go To Clinics Because Of Expired Drugs

Many Zambians are afraid of seeking medical treatment because of the risk of being given expired drugs, according to comments from the Continental Leadership Research Institute (CLRI). 

The CLRI’s executive director Paul Mundia Hakoola has said that “people are now afraid of going to the hospital because they don’t know the kind of medicine they are going to find.”

It comes after news yesterday that the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) has allowed large stockpiles of essential medicines to expire in its Lusaka warehouses.

In a statement Mr Hakoola called on the government, including President Edgar Lungu, to step up and show leadership on the issue of expired drugs.

“As an Institute we want to state that the expiring of drugs at a time were the Nation in many parts of the country has no essential drugs shows the serious leadership vacuum in our country and as an Institute we call upon the President of the Republic of Zambia, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to ensure that he takes responsibility of the people who are working under the executive,” he said.

Mr Hakoola accused officials at the Ministry of Health and affiliated agencies of “not working the best interest of the Zambian people” and said it was unacceptable that patients should be denied access to high quality medicine because of government incompetence. 

On Tuesday, Health Minister Jonas Chanda admitted that the situation around the expired drugs was indeed ‘regrettable’ and ordered for the medicine to be destroyed to avoid it ending up on the black market.

Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema voiced his disappointment also, observing that it was hard to imagine essential drugs being allowed to go to waste at a time of global pandemic. 

“Can you imagine at a time people are getting medical prescriptions and dying in hospitals and clinics due to lack of essential drugs, a chunk imported at huge expense from taxpayers money was expiring in storage facilities. Clearly no one is in charge of these cadres holding positions in government,” he wrote on Facebook.