CITAM Plus Policy and Advocacy Officer says his organization has received with extreme sadness news that the Zambian Government procured Anti-retroviral Drugs (ARVs) that have a short shelf life span.
Mr Nhlane said it is disheartening to learn that the drugs have since expired.
In a statement, Mr Nhlane said the submissions by Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Peter Mwaba Parliamentary Accounts Committee in which he revealed that government spent colossal sums on ARVs and other drugs that had a short shelf lifespan was a danger and that the risk posed by the drugs was unimaginable as well as a source of concern to his organization.
“According to submissions to Parliamentary Accounts Committee by Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Peter Mwaba, it was revealed and reported in the Media that a total of K13, 750, 821 was spent on ARVs and other drugs that had a short shelf lifespan.
“We note with dismay that government officers that are in charge of procurement would allow the procurement of ARVs, which are life pro-longing for many of our colleagues, among other drugs that have a short shelf life.
“The acquiring of these drugs with a short shelf life at a cost of K13, 750, 821 is undesirable and posed a great danger to the consumers as their health and lives are at risk and the risk posed is unimaginable and a source of concern to us as CITAM Plus and indeed other organisations working around health as well as individuals that are HIV/AIDS Advocates,” he said.
[pullquote]We demand that the Ministry tells the nation why it allowed such a bad and wasteful consignment[/pullquote]
He explained that it is disheartening to have to fight the image of implementing countries wasting precious funds through mismanagement.
“As advocates, we spend our time convincing donors of the importance of contributing to the Global Fund. It is disheartening to have to fight the image of implementing countries wasting precious funds through mismanagement. We demand that Government put in place a transparent process that will build on lessons learned to reassure the public that further funds will not be wasted.
“We wonder how and why the Zambian Government accepted such a huge consignment without taking necessary measures into consideration.This is totally unacceptable and a waste to national resources that could have been used on other things especially that the country is under economic stress conditions,” he said.
He further said his organization demands that the Ministry explains to the nation why it allowed such a wasteful consignment and that erring officers be take to task and disciplined
“We demand that the Ministry tells the nation why it allowed such a bad and wasteful consignment and further demand that all erring officers be disciplined so as to send a warning to others and deter further occurrence. It is not long ago that we complained of shortage of ARVs and acquiring of expired ARVs which the government defended and maintained that there were no such issues. Despite our earlier warnings, it is so saddening that such has re-occurred.
“We further wonder why the Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya told Parliament that the country had not purchased expired drugs when a day later his Permanent Secretary confirmed that indeed reports of expired drugs were true. Such statements make us begin to have worries on the truthfulness of our leaders on matters of importance especially that borders on life,” he said.
when a minister becomes a middleman all his senses goes to the CUT.
Zambians, this is how your taxes and Eurobonds have been wasted. This procurement was not a mistake. The pharmaceutical company must have given huge discounts for the drugs that were about to expire but PF officials asked for the full price invoices and the discounts going to their Mauritian and Swiss bank accounts. This is what you get when you let Bembas to run anything.
Are you sure this is not an act of God?
Only God through Jesus can solve this complex problem, why are you trying to blame GRZ?
Simple case to sort out ….if only we are dealing with a serious Government 🙁
Nearly expiring products are sold at a huge discount, which is why we went for the deal. Also, expiring just means the producers are no longer liable for the results, and not that the product has become poisonous. As your government, we would like to assure you that consumption of this product won’t harm you.
People who have aids are careless and I don’t feel sympathy for the whole lot.
Why have sex without a condom. Why ?
Tell me why ?
Use a condom or just oral to avoid possibility of catching the virus.
Thanks
BB2014
Mushota you are an id!ot and very shallow minded. I have a niece who has born with the virus.Now that she is a teenage she has too deal with stigma from such people like you
@ 1.2 Joseph Kabwe
Why are you putting blame on God and Jesus for the acts of greed and 1mbecility of your fake idols?
SHAME ON YOU
Why some id!ots celebrate the strangling of independent media is beyond comprehension. How much are we losing under the drunken gaze of Edward.
@Discovery, what @Joseph Kabwe is alluding to is how institutional and cumulative incompetence and mediocrity has been attributed to acts of God. You inherited the Kariba Dam from the Brits 50 odd years ago and did not expand or improve with foresight. Suddenly, it became God’s matter that the dam levels were low, that the walls were in danger of collapsing – resulting in instituting prayer days in the national psyche. As if that were not enough you initiated a tabernacle construction outfit and a full-fledged Ministry to boot. What, Sir/madam, has @Joseph Kabwe not covered in his succinct post?
Dununa management of national affairs, you haven’t seen anything yet.
That’s PF for you. Thieving evil inhuman beings.
WHAT A WAY TO CELEBRATE WORLD AIDS DAY?
PF cadres cannot read. Illiterates now rule the country. Drugs probably sent by Museveni
NAME THE COMPANIES THAT SUPPLIED THE DRUGS !
What are you going to do with the names? If corrupt individuals come to you to buy medicine that you are about to dispose in a 2 months would you say no.
BETTER STILL NAME THE PEOPLE WHO ORDERED THESE DRUGS AND MAKE THEM ACCOUNT FOR IT.
Some of these Zambian government workers just start hanging them. It’s better off stealing money through contaminated fuel, not medicines please.
LETS NAME AND SHAME ALL THOSE INVOLED, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME.
what do you expect when State house becomes a den of trade that uses its remote control to different ministries. arrest the minister and everyone inolved
@KK Airport Cabinet: I agree with you people must be arrested. This is no longer just a case of theft (as bad as theft is), but it is now a criminal case that should bring shame to us all as a country.
And it says a lot about the so called leadership we have that over a month after this was first reported there has been ZERO statement from anyone in the Gov’t on this. Nothing from the the many churches who are always so quick to organise national days of prayer. But listen to them and their masters in Gov’t quickly invoke the christian nation declaration when a young woman is seen wearing a short skirt.
Kwati fipuba
LET THE HEADS ROLL. WHY WASTE TIME AND LIFE.
ACC is waiting for permission from the Chief Thieves at State House to give Green Light.
all the heads to roll should start with the head
LUNGU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL WITH MINISTERS LIKE CHITALU CHILUFYA WHO PRETEND TO BE HARD WORKING YET ARE SEASONED CROOKS.
CHILUFYA IS AN ARDENT CRIMINAL WHO HAS BEEN DOING THE SAME EVEN WHEN HE SERVED AT MANSA GENERAL HOSPITAL. HE STOLE MONEY FROM GOVT PROJECTS AND BUILT HIS EMPIRE CALLED COURT YARD.. SO THE PURCHASE OF XPIRED DRUGS WAS A WORKED OUT SYNDICATE BETWEEN MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND THE SUPPLIER. .
I have also heard about this Chitalu Chilfya guy that he just loves cash more than kambwili
WE HOPE SOME PEOPLE WILL RESIGN OR BE FIRED. IF NOTHING HAPPENS LUNGU KEEP THEM AND TAKE THEM BIT BY BIT
Resign??? My foot!
WHEN A MINISTER AND HIS PS DIFFER LIKE THIS, THEN WE KNOW WHO WILL GET THE KNIFE ON HIS NECK. THE PS SHOULD CONSIDER HIS JOB TERMINATED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. TOO SAD.
Why do you have Doctors in all these positions wasting their resources we invested in them…these doctors should be in Hospitals where they are needed not signing cheques in ministries, if you want their advice consult with them…in Developed countries you will never hear of a Doctor working as a PS or Minister.
Zambians are known to accept anything, they accepted a thief in state house, so let them just accept those ARVs to them it is better than nothing. This is called mediocrity
Correct,
I, too have no sympathy at all. Lets face our destiny engineered via Ignorance,naivety, Tribalism, cadre ism…. name them………>>>>
In 2021, lets all use our brains and prevent Lunatics come closer to leadership.
For now ,continue crying and you will cryiiiii….
I am sure that figure is what they paid on paper in reality the probably paid a discounted price and pocketed the difference, this is Lazy Lungu govt of incompetence and corruption, no wonder they buy bad crude oil.
& still No one has been brought to book for that Contaminated Oil.
State House under P.F, & Chairman Edward Chagwa have a new religion called CORRUPTION!
Pf ools for you !
Just Dununa some more!!
The P.F officials responsible get fresh quality medicines privately, & abroad.
Let get the music & Dununa, tiye, tiye, bika, dununa!!
What more evidence of corruption is Lungu looking for? This is reeking of serous corruption and equivalent to manslaughter. If a doctor knowingly gives a patient expired drugs and the patient dies, it is murder. Buying expired drugs with intention of giving to patient is a serious criminal offence.
mushota you are there today because two people had sex without a condom. you know them yoself but we don’t.
Inept and corruption acting together. This is the colossal crime against humanity. It is the sentence to hang waiting for you public officials involved if it were in China.
@mushota, please wise up, tame your flabby mouth.
It’s á pity Dr Joseph Kasonde was left out to continue running the Ministry of Healthy.ECL choose to appoint his deputy.This ministry is sensitive for even various donors usually fund it.Remember the KAPOKO syndicates that previously happened there.Any person who is appointed to run this ministry must be a man or woman of intergrity.By the way a the mobile hospitals still being used?
NO THEY ARE NOT THEY WERE USED AS CAMPAIGN GIMMICKS.
Lol! No one will be fired. Theft and mediocrity is now an accepted norm in our society.
Mushota,you are one blogger who has been consistent and what you have written is rubbish!There are lot of people who have been infected sometimes by their spouses-what do you say about that?And who told you that you cannot get HIV through oral sex?I do not like being personal but stop being childish!
whats with the complaints? dont you know its GLOBAL?????!!!!!
Remember when Bulaya did something similar?? he was sent to prison. someone should pay for this
Iwe ka Mushota you are too shallow, you have had a finance for 10 years and he is not marrying you? am sure he can see how flaky you are. Respect people with HIV its just like any disease .
Where were the procurement specialists? ZPPA
We expect Edgar to act NOW
Lazy Lungu is busy packing his suitcases for the next flight whilst dancing to PF songs…dont disturb him!
Ha! ha! Ha!
Jay Jay @ 23:1, You have made my morning, ati “Lazy Lungu is packing his suitcases for the next flight whilst dancing to P.F, songs, don’t disturb him”
Mukulu uja Chairman Chagwa likes dancing, but he is really work shy.
@ Jay Jay, comment of the year haha! The sad thing is that it’s actually true.
PF govt is a criminal enterprise running a country. The president is a convicted thug. In any country Lungu wouldn’t have been allowed to stand for president. But in Zambia it doesn’t matter whether one has questionable morality or not. Electing PF was the gravest mistake Zambians made and they will pay heavily for this stup!d blunder.
Criminal government enterprise,the don’t can the humble,innocent citizens
Yaba! Elolwanya, I fear the Arab springs may soon come to Zambia, the way street vendors are slowly becoming desperate! These are the ones who will start it. So ba PF govt watch out!
This is all as a result of selfishness of people in high authorities.
Ukulyamo is the order of the day for these guys.
Not to worry. There will be an AG’s report at the end of the financial year…
Thats whta happens when you have 90 percent of *****s in government.
A person’s life is at risk all the time until one dies. The air we breathe, the food we eat present their own type of risks.
If no one will be prosecuted over this matter, then it means state house is fully involved. Ministry of Health is one ministry which is run by medical personnel and could have been a very well run ministry but every time it is one ministry which always find itself being dragged in the mud.It is time the medical personnel just became an advisory board to the ministry giving checks and balances so that doctors are cut off from monetary issues as has been seen that money makes them easily throw their medical ethics to the wind.
State House HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR 95% OF SCAMS, RIGHT FROM WHEN SATA MOVED THE ROADS AGENCY TO HIS BEDROOM, & LIKES OF WILLIE NSANDA POCKETED MOST PROCEEDS THEREBY SEVERELY DEPLETING THE EURO BOND!!
Since then it’s been a competition who can rake in the most from Chikwanda election embezzlement, to Kambwili’ shameless plunder, contaminated Oil, list goes on!
@31 Lapikenfamily does one need more evidence of State collusion???
Comment:mushota is a very big fool.i wonder which you went were they told you that HIV/AIDS is only got during see. ***** use your brain
How did this happen?, the individuals involved in procurement dont know how to do quality assurance.? Or the manufacture that does have a quality assurance department. This is pure evil.
Mushota stop stigma on people living with the virus which earth do you live in? There is an adage of you re not infected then you re affected in some way. God might punish for your feeble mind apologise before a weep is cracked on you Mushota. I speak good heslth on people living with the virus.
Unbelievable carelessness!
Shameless thieves who have no remorse enriching themselves on the back of other people’s suffering. And we say we are a Christian nation!! Christianity is through deeds (love your neighbor as you love yourself) not by proclamation
Herein lies the problem – corruption. Both Chilufya and Mwaba are headless chicken who should be fired and then tried for wilful neglect and corruption. If Kambwili has been fired on suspicion, these two deserve immediate arrest. The scenario being advanced does not ring true because any decent pharmaceutical company will replace such a loss. There’s more to the story.
Mushota why dont you get in touch you also?
It is only in Zambia where HIV/AIDS is on the top agenda – other countries are treating malaria, and other curable diseases and not ONLY focussing on HIV/AIDS…. YABA
HIV/AIDS IS A GLOBAL DISEASE AND THERE IS NO CURE – IT IS A PRION AND MUTATES AND CANNOT BE DESTROYED…! FEED THE NATION AND LEAD A HEALTHY LIFE STYLE
Incompetence! This disaster would not have happened under Dr Kasonde and Dr Chikusu. Poor leadership equals poor standards. These corrupt Indian suppliers now know they are dealing with incompetent people and can get away with their shady dealing. The cancer centre at Uth has also been supplied with expired chemotherapy drugs. Incompetence and corruption is back at the ministry of health after the Dr Kasonde and Dr Chikusu tried to clean up the mess the previous government left. Meanwhile Lungu is out of the country using tax payers money when there is a disaster at home. Dr Chikusu was blocked from setting up drug manufacturing in Zambia by Mwanawasa.
It’s true that zambia has a visionless presidua…….who likes visiting his friends in neighbouring countries minus getting advises on how to rule the nation. awe sure calo candoshi
Most of those PF minions including Edgar Lungu depend on ARVs, for once they should be empathetic, would they take expired drugs themselves? PF is heartless.
is this CITAM aware that most off-shelf drugs administered by hospitals are issued in packs not bearing expiry dates? this does little to allay suspicion of possible drug poisoning.
Any thing that involves a Bemba person is attached with a high risk of theft, subtle tribalism, and crookedness. Examples: cast your mind on Chishimba Kambwili’s thefts with arrogance, current min of health tell parliament that no expired drugs were procured, the next day huge revelation of min of health having procured expired drugs. That is what you get with Bembas, rotten to the core.
The PF guys most likely re-bought the drugs that were already bought and chewed the money, what do you think? Just saying you know!
Well I am H.I.V + and just a week ago I was issued with medz to last me 3 months but the funny thing is my medz are expiring in a month. Zambia for me