By NATION REPORTER
THE country’s health system risks plunging into a drugs shortage crisis if Government does not clear the air on allegations of mass corruption that have led to procurement entities shun to seal deals with the Ministry of Health, Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) president Robert Mwanza has said.
Mr Mwanza said shortages of drugs and essential supplies in most health facilities were as a result of suppliers avoiding to do business with the Ministry of Health for fear of being implicated.
He urged the government to clear the air on wild allegations of importation of expired drugs, leaking condoms and corruption which had been rubbished by former Health minister, Chitalu Chilufya.
Mr Mwanza said it was the only way the State was going to restore confidence in the health system again.
He has urged the government to take Dr Chilufya’s advice to probe the fake drugs issues so that the matter could be put to rest.
He said the new dawn government had reports on its tables indicating whether the purported scandals involving the Ministry of Health were true.
Mr Mwanza said there was need to cleanse the tarnished name of the Ministry of Health if it was to operate without challenges.
He said it at the pace the ministry was operating, it risked plunging into a crisis.
Mr Mwanza said the new government should not allow health facilities to operate without medicines and essential supplies when it could save the situation.
“The current government knows whether indeed the situation is as bad as it looks at the Ministry of Health or not. Dr Chilufya already announced that there was no procurement of expired drugs and condoms and other allegations, so the new government can clear the air if that is the situation. The ministry needs that if confidence is going to be restored,” Mr Mwanza said.
Drugs shortage crisis looms
