Zimbabwe’s public health sector is losing millions of dollars as health workers steal medicines and hospital supplies for resale, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini has told Parliament.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Kwidini admitted that some employees at public health institutions were diverting drugs meant for patients to private pharmacies. The issue was raised by Zanu PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi, who asked whether there were control mechanisms to ensure that government-purchased medication benefits patients rather than ending up in private pharmacies.
Kwidini said the leakages were costing the government heavily. He explained that after the government buys medication, some individuals steal it from hospitals to resell in their own pharmacies. The deputy minister added that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed that those who steal should be arrested.
To curb the theft, the ministry has engaged a company to install a tracking system that monitors the movement of medicines from the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) to hospitals and pharmacies. According to Kwidini, the new system will ensure that medication is protected in hospitals, and perpetrators will face prosecution.
The original question came from Citizens Coalition for Change MP Blessing Makamure, who noted that residents were struggling to access healthcare and were often given prescriptions to buy medication from private pharmacies. Kwidini acknowledged that access to medication at public hospitals and clinics remained a challenge, saying the government was pursuing public-private partnerships to subsidise imported drugs and support local manufacturers.
The theft of public medicines has exacerbated shortages in a health system already under strain, leaving many patients unable to obtain essential drugs at government facilities.
