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The Medicines Research and Access Platform (Medrap) has warned that persistent governance failures at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) were fuelling corruption and undermining public access to essential medicines.
Medrap National Director, Liyoka Liyoka, commended law enforcement agencies for acting on the forensic audit of ZAMMSA but accused the Ministry of Health of worsening the crisis by interfering in the recruitment of the Director General.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Friday, Liyoka said the audit exposed serious governance lapses, yet the Ministry has chosen to violate the ZAMMSA Act.
“Instead of correcting them, the Ministry is violating the ZAMMSA Act by directly handling the recruitment of the Director General. This only entrenches corruption and weakens oversight,” he said.
Liyoka explained that the Act mandates the Minister to appoint a Board of Directors, which is responsible for recruiting the Director General and senior management—not the Ministry itself.
Read More: Health sector scandal deepens as DEC arrests former Permanent Secretary, ZAMMSA officials
“Any appointment made outside this process will be illegitimate and will not restore public confidence. The Minister must stop the current recruitment and allow the Board to carry out its lawful mandate,” he added.
He further urged whistleblowers and citizens with additional evidence of malpractice at ZAMMSA to present it to law enforcement, stressing that accountability is key to restoring integrity in the institution.
“Zambians deserve an agency that protects their access to medicines, not one crippled by corruption and political interference,” he said.
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has already arrested former Acting Permanent Secretary for Administration at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sivah Kachimba, alongside senior ZAMMSA officials and two Directors of private companies, as part of ongoing investigations in the health sector.
These arrests bring the total number of individuals charged in connection with the scandal to 10, including four suspects apprehended earlier this year.
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