The Continental Leadership Research Institute (CLRI) says the expiring of drugs at a time when various clinics across the country has been lacking essential drugs shows serious leadership vacuum in the nation.
And the Institute has called on Republican President Edgar Lungu to swiftly deal with government employees who have exhibited high levels of contempt towards their duties through negligence.
Reacting to the statement that some drugs expired while in the custody of Medical Stores, Institute Executive Director Paul Mundia Hakoola said those responsible should face the full wrath of the law and be made to account for their negligence which has put citizens at risk.
“As an Institute we want to state that the expiring of drugs at a time were the Nation in many parts of the country has no essential drugs shows the serious leadership vacuum in our country and as an Institute we call upon the President of the Republic of Zambia, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to ensure that he takes responsibility of the people who are working under the executive,” he said.
He explained that there are so many senior officials and high ranking government officials who are supposed to ensure that the interest of government is protected to even have such a situation in one of the most important sectors of the country.
“This issue whereby we have Directors, we have Ministers, we have even the Permanent Secretary, we even have inspectors at the ministry of health they are supposed to ensure that purchase drugs that are far from expiring. They are supposed to inspect those drugs and ensure that no drugs get expired before being distributed to the intended users,” he said.
He noted that Zambians are now scared of visiting health centres for medical attention because they are skeptical of the drugs they will be given further wondering in whose interest those charged with responsibilities to over see the institution are acting for if not the people of Zambia.
“The question we ask as an Institute is that in who’s interest are these people working for if they are not working in the best interest of the Zambian people. We believe that anyone who is employed in the government is working for and on behalf of the Zambian people but what they are exhibiting to us is most unfortunate. People are now afraid of going to the hospital because they don’t know the kind of medicine they are going to find.
“We need to redeem the health sector because a healthy Nation is a Wealthy Nation, we cannot have a sector were people go to the hospital and they are not guaranteed of having quality access to health, quality medicine not because medicine is not there but because of irresponsible people that have decided not to ensure that they do their duties,” he said.
This issue has brought with it a lot of resentment among the general public… People are afraid of going to clinics
Shun medical attention at your own risk.
If you guys in power had any integrity, you would all resign.
Yes the People are afraid of being given expired drugs but with the new changes taking place in the health system this will be am issue of the past
It’s a very sad situation… When people begin to go to the clinic then trouble comes… But we must believe that the right thing will be done
We need to get to the bottom of this mega scandal. Firstly who supplied this drugs that expired
Normally when medicine is bought or procured it has at least 2 to 3 years expiry date.
How much tax payers money has been wasted buying expired drugs.
If this happened in Europe or America there would be mass arrests/resignations and people connected with this brought to books. We are talking about people’s lives here. Do PF or lungu even care. The bloody kaffirs
KZ the incompetent retard will blame it on HH
The retard does not realise PF has mercenaries in each ministry. Chilufya and lungu are the main culprits.
That is a major problem-when every one looks to the president for action-was it the president who employed such hooligans?
Why not take to task their employer-its simple as that-unless you mean to say-you the whole personage-a head of an institution-also have not the simple knowledge that the power to higher and fire lies not in the person at state lodge-
Dununa reverse don’t mind killing citizens for a small buck, these drugs are for free in the states when they have a couple months to expire, or you do is pay for shipping,…. They do care about any one, even u id1ots who vote for them drinking the same med, while they travel to SA…. Zambians Kaya mwe
Dununa reverse don’t mind killing citizens for a small buck, these drugs are for free in the states when they have a couple months to expire, or you do is pay for shipping,…. They do care about any one, even u who vote for them drinking the same med, while they travel to SA…. Zambians Kaya mwe
those responsible should be dealt with
@ awe sure resign for what? So that your tribal leader takes over ? Oh please be real
@ scouser, public bodies employ people from various backgrounds, tribes and political loyalties. So yes it is possible that those involved may have been working with opposition to give government a bad name. As a senior civil servant with decades of experience I can tell you that unpatriotism is the biggest issue within such bodies and politicking
We have said it before, PF regime is incapable of doing anything sensible. What will follow Zambians after consuming and using substandard medicines and defective medical provisions is death after death of innocent Zambians. That is a huge indictment on the PF regime – PF should apologise to Zambia.
I think its just the matter of first in first out maybe they have been doing it the other way which is first in last out. That scenario you can’t have control over the expiry data.
Governance is largely perception. Mwaona lomba antu oyopa vipatala!! Because of your love of get-rich-quick-by-theft. Killing your people is not literal. It happens so cabe.
We have a lame duck president, useless as they come can’t control his party and K@ponya ministers… Disaster
It’s sad though that the medicines were being kept away from the clinics and hospitals while people were deprived. So e of that medicine could have been prescribed for free as the life span got shorter, it would have helped some people out there. My question though is, don’t they conduct stock take on medicines in storage??? I applaud our Republican President for cracking the whip on those responsible, this is a huge and unfair loss, not only to the Government but to those deprived of the medicine that has gone to waste. Hopefully we all learn a thing or two from this.