The United States has announced it will stop $50 million worth of health aid to Zambia because of what it called “systematic theft” of donated drugs and medical supplies.
US Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales, described the decision as “difficult” but necessary, saying the US would no longer support a system where life-saving drugs are stolen and sold while patients suffer.
“We are no longer willing to underwrite the personal enrichment of fraudsters or the corrupt when patients go without or have to buy life-saving medications that we have provided for free,” Gonzales said.
According to the US embassy, an investigation found that over 2,000 pharmacies in Zambia were selling stolen medicines, many of which were donated by the US. The embassy said 95 percent of those pharmacies were found with drugs meant to be distributed for free.
The statement also said that the stolen medicines were not only from the US but also from the Zambian government, the Global Fund, and other donors.
“Theft was discovered across the country,” the embassy said, adding that despite sharing these findings with the Zambian government in April last year, “no serious action was taken.”
Zambia’s Minister of Health, Elijah Muchima, thanked the US for its long-standing support and said the government had introduced new measures to fight theft.
“We have launched a digital stock tracking system to monitor the movement of medical supplies,” he said. He also claimed that the problem of stolen drugs began before the current government came into office in 2021.
Muchima reassured the public that there were still enough medicines in stock and that “there is no immediate risk of shortages.”
The US embassy, however, criticised the Zambian authorities for focusing only on minor arrests. “Law enforcement has only gone after low-level actors and arrested a few mid-level officials. The real masterminds have not been investigated,” the statement said.
Ambassador Gonzales, holding back tears during his speech, said the aid cut would affect the supply of medicines used to treat malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” he added. “But we can no longer justify to the American taxpayer continuing to provide such massive levels of assistance.”
The cuts will take effect from January next year, giving Zambia time to make other plans for its health system.
Zambia heavily depends on foreign aid, especially from the US, which provides about one-third of the country’s public health funding.
The US decision is separate from a wider freeze on global aid programmes announced earlier by President Donald Trump. Since coming into office, Trump has stopped billions of dollars in health and humanitarian support across Africa, affecting countries like Zambia where HIV remains a serious issue, especially among young people.
In March, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema had reacted to the US aid freeze by saying, “Trump has slapped us on both cheeks,” and called on his country to improve its ability to fund its own medicine needs.
Health experts fear the US decision may worsen healthcare access in Zambia if quick solutions are not found.
