USA reduces Zambia’s assistance over “systematic” theft of medicine

The United States has announced that it reduces $ 50 million (£ 37 million) to assist the Zambia health sector of the country’s inability to solve the “systematic theft” of donated drugs and medical materials.

This “difficult” decision was made after repeated warnings by the Zambia government on the protection of life drugs intended for the most vulnerable patients of the country, US Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzalez said.

“We no longer want to sign personal enrichment of scammers or corrupt when patients go without or have to buy rescue medicines that we have provided for free,” he added.

The Zambia government will not comment yet.

Cuts are individual for extensive foreign assistance announced by President Donald Trump in January.

The Zambian health sector is actively funded by foreign donors, but there were preliminary reports of a broad illegal appropriation and corruption involving high -ranking officials.

The US accounts for about a third of the health care costs in Zambia according to the US Embassy in the country.

But US officials said they had discovered “theft across the country” of medical products that were supposed to be distributed free of charge for the public, but were now sold by private pharmacies.

More than 2000 pharmacies throughout Zambia were found on sale of donated drugs and medical materials in a long -term investigation conducted by the US Embassy.

“Shocking that for these visits, 95 percent of the pharmacies sold by the US products also sold stolen goods,” the statement said.

Almost half of the prescribed pharmacies were found on sale of medicines and supplies donated by the US government, the report said.

Other pharmacies were also found on the sale of stolen medical shares purchased by the Zambia government, the Global Fund, and other Zambia donors, he added.

The US Embassy stated that it presented its findings and offered experts to stop the theft and involve the perpetrators in April last year, but there were no action.

“I regret that today the government’s actions have sharply demonstrated the commitment to maintain help in the US and the life we ​​strive to preserve,” the embassy said.

Zambia’s law enforcement operations were focused on “low level subjects” and led to the arrest “only a few medium -level officials” rather than the investigation into the sources of deliveries and persecution of inspirations behind the theft, the US Embassy reports.

Gonzalez said the US “could no longer justify the US taxpayer while continuing to provide such a massive help level.”

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

“This is not the decision we made slightly,” Gonzalez said, spilling tears, explaining how this measure would affect Zambian patients.

The reduction of assistance will come into force next January to give Zambian government to develop alternative agreements, but he said that “the decision was made”.

Ever since Trump’s administration has taken the post, it has reduced billions of dollars in world healthcare programs, striking African countries, including Zambia, where HIV remains a major threat, especially for teenagers and young people.

Trump announced freezing assistance on his first day as of January in accordance with his foreign policy “American First”.

Reduction of assistance has affected health care programs across Africa, including the supply of critical medicines, including HIV.

Most US Agency for International Development (USAID) who provided health and humanitarian aid vulnerable countries, Since then stopped.

In March, Zambian President Hockey Hicienda stated that Trump had “hit us on both cheeks”, saying that it was time for his country to strengthen his treasury to buy his own medicines.