By Staff Reporter
United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) chairperson Sakwiba Sikota says its lack of seriousness on the part of the UPND government to blame the theft of drugs on the previous regime.
United States of America Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzales last week, announced a US $50 million cut towards medicines and medical supplies to Zambia owing to the government’s failure to stop systematic theft of the products.
And in an interview with Daily Revelation on Monday, Sikota said there was no way the UPND administration should blame the previous government on the theft of drugs.
“But we are talking four years down the line. And if it had been that it is from the past people, those thefts would have been in the beginning of 2021, not after August 2021. They should not bring other past governments into this. No! it shows a lack of seriousness on their part to do that,” Sikota said, adding that the government did not give an adequate explanation to the Americans on what measures it was putting in place over the alleged theft of drugs, the reason they still went ahead to withdraw aid.
Sikota said health minister Elijah Muchima said they talked to the stakeholders and donors to give them a road map of what they would do over the issue.
“Now the question is, if they did that, it means that they didn’t give an adequate explanation to the donors because the donors would not then go ahead to cut the aid,” Sikota said. “What is important is that explanation should not just be for the donors, it should be for the people of Zambia. Let them publicise what they gave to the donors. Because primarily, they are answerable to us as citizens. Secondary, the donors, yes, because they are the ones who have given the money. But primarily they are supposed to answer to us.”
Sikota said even on the US observation that only the ‘small fishes’ were dealt with, President Hakainde Hichilema was the only one who could take the ‘big fishes’ to account.
“Remember in my opening I said the President must address the nation. The reason I said so is because of the very observation, that only the small fish. So if it’s only the small, the one who can superintend to make sure that even the middle guys and big fish are brought to account is the President,” he said.
On the reported donated drugs being sold in local pharmacies, Sikota called for an audit of pharmacies to know the source of the drugs which were being sold.
He said if the government was being diligent, they would be able to tell who was importing drugs and ask for a list of pharmacies that had bought from them and that extra drugs sold could be interrogated.
He said when one went to University Teaching Hospital (UTH), they were told the pharmacy within the hospital had no medicines but they were always advised to buy outside Nationalist Road.
Sikota said those selling drugs should be checked often in order to deal with the ones selling drugs illegally.
