UPND Concerned About Distribution Of Honeybee Drugs

The Chairman of the United Party for National Development Stephen Katuka has expressed concern over reports that faulty drugs supplied by the infamous Honeybee Pharmacies are still being distributed to medical facilities across the country.  

Mr Katuka said the reports made for sad reading that the use of sub-par medical equipment was not condoned by the New Dawn government. He added that the UPND would not forget the gross negligence displayed by the previous administration towards healthcare in Zambia and said that the matter was of the utmost importance to the president and vice-president. 

In 2021, under the Patriotic Front government, a parliamentary inquiry found that Honeybee Pharmacies had provided defective medical equipment to healthcare facilities, including leaky condoms and mouldy packets of paracetamol. The company had been awarded a government contract worth $17 million in 2020, despite not even being officially registered at the time.  

According to recent reports, a consignment of paracetamol supplied by Honeybee was delivered as part of a health centre kit to a facility in Kabwe. The drugs had previously been quarantined after failing quality assurance tests. It is currently not clear if any other hospitals received honeybee drugs.

In his statement on Sunday, Mr Katuka said the UPND’s resolve to fight corruption in drug procurement had only grown stronger since taking office – as evidenced by the decision to allow investigative agencies to operate with total independence. 

The Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency, which oversees the handling of government medical contracts, has so far declined to comment.