By Steve Kabani
As of May 2025, Zambia has a total of 2,009 registered retail pharmacies (ZAMRA 2025). The recent US embassy report claims that 95% of these pharmacies roughly 1,909 outlets stocked stolen, US-funded life-saving drugs. On the surface, this statistic is alarming. But on closer inspection, it becomes deeply questionable, both in logic and evidence. Aforensic audit involving nearly 2,000 pharmacies assumes that all are operational and fully functional, which is unlikely. Many registered pharmacies may be inactive, non-compliant, or exist only on paper. Conducting such a massive audit without verifying operational status casts doubt on the credibility of the entire premise.
To begin with, we must ask: What are these US-funded life-saving drugs? These are identified as ARVs, TB drugs, and vaccines for under 5. These are not over the counter medications. They are strictly controlled commodities that are rarely, if ever, available in private retail pharmacies.
Which brings us to the next logical question: Who has ever seen ARVs, TB drugs, or under five vaccines sold in a retail pharmacy? For those who work in, own, or frequently visit these pharmacies, the answer is likely the same, almost no one. Speaking from personal experience in over 10 years in the sector, I have encountered only one customer asking for ARVs and even then, it was a specific South African brand not found in the public system.
ARVs, TB drugs, and under-five vaccines are never stocked in general hospital pharmacies either. Instead, they are housed in designated storage and dispensing areas most of which have been built or refurbished by US-funded NGOs. These areas are not only tightly monitored, often with CCTV surveillance, but also operate under strict protocols.
These medications are not accessed through individual prescriptions, but dispensed through SmartCare, a sophisticated real-time inventory and patient monitoring system that is designed to track the distribution and consumption of these drugs, and report that data directly to the donor agencies. Notably, approximately 60% of personnel in ART clinics are funded by the US agencies, further reinforcing the oversight on these commodities.
This raises a critical question: With such an airtight, donor controlled inventory system in place, how could these drugs be seeping into the retail market? It would require a massive, coordinated breach of a system that was purpose built to prevent exactly this kind of leakage. Moreover, if ARVs or TB drugs were indeed being siphoned off on such a large scale, the public health system would inevitably experience shortages.
Yet we have not. In fact, Zambia has never experienced a widespread stockout of ARVs or TB drugs in recent years. On the contrary, the country has made commendable progress, having achieved the ambitious 90-90-90 targets in most provinces: 90% of people with HIV knowing their status, 90% of those diagnosed on ARVs, and 90% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression. This would have been impossible if these drugs were being stolen and sold in private pharmacies, thereby making them inaccessible to the poor and vulnerable populations who rely on free treatment.
We must also consider the timing of this report. Just two months ago, the US abruptly halted its support to Zambia’s health sector a move widely condemned as baseless and harmful. One has to wonder: Is this report an attempt to retroactively justify that decision? Could it be that a reason is now being manufactured to fit an earlier political or diplomatic agenda?
In conclusion, the claims in the US embassy report are riddled with inconsistencies, logical flaws, and a glaring absence of evidence. Given the tight donor controlled drug distribution systems, the lack of public shortages, and Zambia’s continued progress in HIV treatment outcomes, it is difficult to accept that 95% of pharmacies were selling stolen donor drugs. Until a transparent, evidence-based investigation is presented, this report remains highly suspect and deeply troubling.
But the government has said pilferation of drugs has been there and did not start with them being in power. The government acknowledges the problem, but you our dear author, you are refusing
He has given points. Refute his points if you think he is wrong. Have you seen those particular drugs in any pharmacy? If he is wrong it is very easy to prove him wrong. I think he’s right, unless someone proves otherwise.
This is not the first time we’re hearing about this; even Masebo had earlier in 2023 called the theft scourge out. So, we should only have ourselves to blame…
Pilferaration of drugs is there but the us funded drugs are not in big quantities as users
Can acquire them from hospital.Most drugs
Found in some pharmacies are other ones.
The Ambassador has turned himself into an NGO Activist. Funny thing is Zambians attacks Munshya, reminding him that he’s a High Commissioner and shouldn’t be acting like a Cadre but won’t confront the Cadre mentality from this man who came to America as an immigrant from South America now giving out half baked truths. This man is not Ambassador material honestly.
This government was warned about flirting with the US. Others stay away as far as possible but somehow we thought we were special.Imagine the Zambian Ambassador behaving like this in the US, what would happen? Let these people also investigate our stolen mineral wealth. This by the way is not American tax dollars, the US can print these fake dollars at will and use them as a w3ap0n against us. They will fund anyone ready to sabotag3 any progress we make.
Guilty always plead inocence and victimization
I guess the author is right, Americans just want an excuse for them to pull out in funding the health sector,if you analyze it , it’s not adding up.no one complained in accessing the ARVs neither any shortage of TB drugs in the country.
Its more than that…2026 is around the corner and these people are already preparing our elections. Watch how they will start frustrating our leaders. Africans should remember that the US and European foreign policy in Africa is to keeps us grounded at all costs.
The problem with this part of the world, there is too much ‘kufwa na no’ ,Whether the drugs being stolen are the ones donated by the US or not, the bottom line is that drugs are being stolen every day, the number of prescriptions being given out in public hospitals can’t be this high if all was well, looking at the quantities government orders. For somebody to allege something, the Ambassador has a lot of information
And I should assume that you don’t care about Zambians who have now been exposed to death because of a sham charge?
I find it hard to believe the US Embassy report based only on one fact?
1. Zambians like free things, why would a Zambian go and buy from a Pharmacy something they get freely at govt hospitals? Zambians can waste money on other things but never on something they know they can get free. This can only happen to those who want to hide their HIV status and these account for a very very small number of people. I have also never seen a hospital release a prescription to someone to go source the drugs from outside.
It will come to light that the US ambassador has over exaggerated the extent of the theft…….
No one doubts that there is theft if drugs , even in the UK there is theft in the healthcare system………
Though levels of theft of GRZ drugs could be higher in Zambia then elsewhere, there is definitely exaggeration by that ambassador…….
And this is more a trump aid cut than anything else………
FWD2041
A guy in the pharmaceutical industry and very seasoned mentioned on TV last night that drugs are crossing borders from Zambia. And he also mentioned that you won’t see a shortage of those particular meds in hospitals in Zambia because donors donate more than we require. So surely there must be a market for them some where. Let’s just act and stop it
The US Embassy secret investigators did not investigate drug stores outside the country,They “found” their drugs and other medical supplies being sold in Zambian drug stores.So your TV professional was stating that ZAMSA is overstating drugs requirements for the country?Please, tell him not to cause a drugs shortage in Zambia,He is not well versed medical supplies consumption patterns
This Mzungu’s lies has been exposed