Health Ministry scandals must end now
IT IS unfortunate that the Ministry of Health continues to find itself at the centre of controversy and scandal after scandal under the administration of President Hakainde Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND).
What should have been one of the most trusted and protected public institutions in the country has instead become a recurring symbol of corrupt deals, poor accountability and public mistrust.
The latest revelations surrounding the US$22.2 million medicines manufacturing plant deal involving India’s Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited are concerning and troubling at the same time.
According to the details that have emerged, the project has been structured as a so-called joint venture (JV) in which the Zambian government is expected to inject millions of dollars while the foreign partner assumes little or no financial risk.
Even more disturbing is the allegation that the company has already secured a US$25 million annual medicines supply contract before the plant itself has even been constructed.
This is not a partnership. It is a financial trap in which the Zambian taxpayer carries the burden while the foreign company reaps the benefits. This is exactly the type of arrangement that the UPND promised Zambians it would eliminate when it came into power. Instead, what we are seeing is a continuation of the same procurement practices that lack transparency and have historically drained public resources.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. The Ministry of Health has already been rocked by several major controversies since 2022. In July of that year, then Minister of Health Silvia Masebo announced a US$70 million government-to-government procurement arrangement to import medicines from Egypt’s Unified Procurement Authority (UPA). Zambians were told this deal would guarantee efficiency, transparency and improved access to essential medicines. Instead, what followed raised more questions than answers.
In April 2023, the Ministry of Health and the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) imported drugs and surgical equipment worth about US$65 million from Egypt.
But instead of improving the country’s health system, the consignment became a symbol of poor planning and mismanagement when dozens of trucks loaded with medicines were stranded for months at the Port of Beira in Mozambique. Medicines that were desperately needed in hospitals risked going to waste while patients continued to suffer shortages.
As if that was not damaging enough, the situation reached an even more serious level in May 2025 when United States (US) Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzales announced the US$50 million aid cut in medication and medical supplies support to Zambia. The decision followed concerns about systematic theft and the government’s inadequate response to the crisis.
Losing such support is not just embarrassing; it is a direct blow to the country’s health sector and the millions of vulnerable citizens who depend on it.
Now, with the exposure of the US$22 million deal involving Akums, it is clear that the Ministry of Health has not learnt any lessons from the past scandals. Instead of restoring confidence through transparency and accountability, the ministry appears to be sliding deeper into questionable procurement arrangements that benefit a few at the expense of many.
President Hichilema must now act decisively. Zambians did not vote for change only to see the same corruption practices continue under a different administration. If the UPND is serious about fighting corruption, then the Ministry of Health must be the first institution where that commitment should be demonstrated without hesitation.
What is required now is a thorough and independent investigation into the Akums deal and all other controversial procurement arrangements that have taken place since 2022. Those found responsible must face the full force of the law, regardless of their position or political affiliation. Anything less will only confirm the growing perception that corruption has simply changed faces and not disappeared.
The Ministry of Health is too important to be reduced to a scandal-ridden institution. It is responsible for the lives of ordinary Zambians who depend on public hospitals for survival. Every questionable contract, every delayed consignment and every misused dollar ultimately affects patients who have no alternative.
Zambians deserve a health ministry that is transparent, accountable and focused entirely on saving lives. The time for excuses is over. The time for decisive action is now.
