More Action On HoneyBee Scandal Needed - TI-Z

Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) is among those calling for more action to be taken following the HoneyBee Pharmacy scandal. 

The company was awarded a contract worth $17 million in June 2020, despite not being an officially registered company at the time. Numerous products supplied by the company have since been subject to recall, including mouldy paracetamol and leaky condoms. 

HoneyBee Pharmacy has lost its licence as a result of the scandal and the former Health Minister and permanent secretary have been dismissed following public outcry. However, TI-Z chapter president Sampa Kalungu has said this should only be the beginning of the clean-up at the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA). 

According to Kalungu prosecution must be the next step, pointing the finger at the ZAMRA officers who awarded HoneyBee a licence in the first place, despite the many irregularities. 

TI-Z are not the only ones calling for further action. The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) last week demanded that a commission of inquiry be instituted to assess the damage on the victims of the scandal who were exposed to substandard and faulty drugs and personal protective products during a global pandemic. 

“On behalf of the CCZ ecumenical membership and the citizens of Zambia, we demand for a commission of inquiry to be instituted in order to determine the extent of the damage caused to the health of many Zambians who were exposed to the substandard drugs and personal protective products that were supplied by HoneyBee Pharmacy and ZAMRA,” General Secretary Fr Emmanuel Chikoya stated.  

“As a Church we are extremely concerned that while the country is battling with a global pandemic and should be working round the clock to ensure that citizens are protected from all other ailments, government through Ministry of Health which has the mandate to protect people’s lives allowed the distribution of defective drugs to its citizens,” he continued.  

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is understood to have been investigating the matter since August 2020.