The Health Professions Council of Zambia has closed 32 Health care facilities in Lusaka for stocking and dispensing expired Drugs and will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
HPCZ recently conducted compliance monitoring inspections in Lusaka province from December 3rd to 13th 2018, an exercise which has revealed high levels of noncompliance among a number of facilities.
32 out of the 120 health facilities were found stocking and dispensing expired drugs and medical supplies.
Speaking at a media briefing, HPCZ Senior Public Relations Officer Chinyota Msimuko said the findings signal an epidemic of expired drugs being administered to the unsuspecting public but the Council will not allow the situation to persist as it compromises patient’s safety.
Mr. Msimuko said the Council has observed with concern a growing trend where some health facilities are stocking and dispensing expired drugs and medical supplies.
He said in its quest to effectively protect the public and to ensure total compliance to National Health Care Standards, penalties will extend to individual pharmacists and doctors in charge of these facilities.
Mr. Msimuko said the Health practitioners in charge of health care facilities have a professional responsibility to make sure that their facilities operate in conformity with National Health Care Standards and for this reason, the Council will summon the practitioners who are in charge of the cited facilities to account for their actions and show cause why they should not be held in breach of the professional code of conduct and ethics.
He said the Health Professions Act number 24 2009 of the Laws of Zambia under section 75 allows the Council to pursue Heads of Institutions or Units in their individual capacity for any facility found in breach of the National Healthcare standards.
Mr. Msimuko has since appealed to the Health Practitioners to continue striving to uphold professional norms at all times.
This is the only Professional Body that seems to be working in Zambia at the moment. Well done Mujajati and keep the mother fcking quacks; fake doctors and fake pharmacists off the streets!
This opposition HPC with leader Mujajati is getting too much.
When is going to close UTH?
Thumps Up
Don’t close them just confiscate the medicines and take them to court as soon as possible , they are putting People’s lives at risk if you close those pharmacies you will only punish the innocent customers.
Just check the standards of those institutions that have been closed and those that are operating, you’ll realize that HPCZ has been infiltrated by criminals. It’s being used to sort out rival institutions. Some inspectors are compromised. MoH must regulate HPCZ, it’s become a monster. At rate they’re going, by end of 2019 there’ll be no private practice in Zambia
How many of those are government facilities?
Mujajati is playing with fire! Jesus was crucified for touching the pockets of the Pharisees! Every hospital or clinic that is busy has a number of drugs expiring everyday and there is always a mechanism of combing the shelves and keeping all expiries in a designated lockable place! Does the keeping of expired drugs in such a corner amount to dispensing of expired medicines? Please do not misuse the law! A Coachroach that is too excited will surely get in trouble! All we see at HPCZ today are just criminals whose main aim is to make money in the name of the institution and misusing and misapplying the Law!
Nshilimubemba, you would rather like those culprits continue killing innocent lives, than closing those facilities dispensing expired drugs. What purpose are they serving? Look at both sides of the coin, the people are dying for taking expired drugs and the criminals behind the expired drugs are getting richer and fatter every day. Where do you stand?
The question to ask is GRZ clinics and hospitals are the worst offenders in the actual storage and dispensing of expired drugs! Why is HPCZ not closing GRZ facilities and only focusing their energies on the Private facilities most of which dispense higher quality medications? In case Zambians have short memories, wasn’t it under Chilufya’s watch when Ministry of health is on record of procuring expired ARVs and other substandard drugs? Equality before the Law is what is required! The only reason why the Private facilities are targeted is because that is the only place HPCZ can pounce on money! There is a difference between regulation and being a nuisance to Professionals!
There’s no one who dispenses expired drugs, right now all major Govt hospitals don’t have vital medicines except ARVs which are sponsored, that’s what’s killing people. CBU School of Medicine was closed because someone has opened Kantemba Dental Training on Kopala. God is watching and he has never failed Zambia. Their days are numbered
ZMA must repeal the Act that puts their members answerable for things beyond their control! The Zambian Market is rich in half-baked graduates some of whom are products of leakage! It doesn’t matter how good the head of the institution is. Mentorship is a lifelong process. Human error will remain part of our operations! Targeting the head of the institutions for professional misconduct is nothing but abuse of authority by HPCZ! That clause should be repealed as its recent addition was not done in good faith! That is intimidation!
Thank you for protecting the public Health Professions Council of Zambia. Private hospitals should be inspected routinely. These hospitals are owned by foreigners who want to make money and do not care about health of Zambians. Even in intensive care expired drugs are found. Anaesthetics used in operations are expired. There is not a company providing safe oxygen to hospitals including government. The oxygen does not meet regulation standards
Therefore 99% of patients put on oxygen die.Colic Hospital , Mums clinic should be investigated.