By Patricia Male
Government has denied diverting any funds meant for the purchase of medical and health drugs to fund free education as alleged in some sections of the media.
Chief Government Spokesperson Chushi Kasanda says government is taken aback by a story in which Patriotic Front member and former Roan Member of Parliament, Chishimba Kambwili is quoted as saying the reason behind the current drug shortage is because government has used money meant to buy drugs to finance free education.
Ms. Kasanda has described this allegation as unfounded and a sheer figment of Mr Kambwili’s imagination saying government has adequately funded the hospitals since taking office in august last year.
She has explained that government has increased funding to hospitals from the K1.4 Billion that the PF used to allocate to hospitals to K3.8 Billion adding that in December 2021 alone, government tripled the monthly allocation to the hospitals from K50, 000 to K100, 000 a month.
Ms. Kasanda states that government is aware that drug levels are not sitting at the ideal 80% level but are also not less than 50%.
She adds that the delay in the purchase of drugs was caused by litigation matters that made the new Zambia Medicines & Medical Supplies Agency –ZAMMSA- Board re-advertise the tender, a process she says is unavoidable and has since assured members of the public that government is working at normalizing the situation.
