By 
Health Minister, Dr. Alex Katakwe, has initiated a major shake-up at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA), revoking board appointments and suspending several senior officials in what he described as an urgent effort to restore efficiency, accountability, and integrity within the national medicines supply system.
Speaking during a media briefing at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre on Tuesday, Katakwe announced the immediate revocation of the appointment of Keagan Mwape, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia, from the ZAMMSA Board.
He said the ministry had asked the Pharmaceutical Society to nominate a new representative as provided for in its governing legislation, emphasising that the decision was part of broader corrective measures within the agency.
Katakwe revealed that following consultations with ZAMMSA management and its board, the ministry had also suspended multiple officers across procurement, warehousing, and supply planning.
He said these suspensions were necessary to enable full administrative and investigative processes aimed at stabilising the agency’s operations.
In making the announcement, he explained that acting officials had been appointed to key positions to ensure operational continuity.
The changes affect leadership in procurement of medicines, procurement of goods, supply planning, warehousing and distribution, inbound logistics, and quality assurance.
The minister noted that the Drug Enforcement Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission had been called upon to begin urgent investigations into matters concerning the suspended officers.
He stressed that the government would not tolerate inefficiency, negligence, or any form of misconduct in the management of medicines and medical supplies, describing the availability of essential drugs as a non-negotiable national priority.
Katakwe assured the public that despite the sweeping changes, there would be no disruption in the distribution of medicines, as systems were being reinforced to ensure transparency, reliability, and efficiency.
He stated that the actions being taken were in the best interest of the country and were intended to strengthen service delivery so that every clinic, health centre and community continues to receive essential medical supplies on time.
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