Blacklist ‘corrupt’ suppliers of drugs – Pharmacists

By KETRA KALUNGA
CORRUPT companies implicated in the supply of substandard medicines should be blacklisted by the Zambia Medicines and Medical Suppliers Agency (ZAMMSA), the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia (PSZ) has said
The organisation believes that procurement of medicines under ZAMMSA was going to bring sanity in the supply chain.
PSZ President, Kennedy Saini said the country has been subjected to poor procurement processes in the past because of corruption that allowed dubious companies to get the supply tenders.
Mr. Saini said in an interview that the supply chain competence would be restored in the procurement of medicines and medical suppliers now that the process would be handled by a professional body.
He said Zambians would soon notice a big difference in the medicines and medical supply chain unlike before when procurement of medicines and medical supplies was left in the hands of unprofessional people who lacked quality and technical evaluation of the medicines and medical suppliers.
“ZAMMSA is doing the very first procurement. You will see the difference and when we talk about procurement being handled by the right professionals according to WHO standards this is what we mean,” Mr. Saini said.
He assured that shoddy companies that were corruptly allowed to supply substandard medicines and medical suppliers would not be shortlisted now that ZAMMSA was in charge of identifying the right suppliers.
He added that Zambians would be protected because ZAMMSA being a professional body would ensure that companies that would be given contracts to supply the medicines and medical supplies are ethical buyers.
Mr. Saini also said Zambians are assured of a stable supply and value for money just as the case is in a number of countries in the region now that procurement of medicines and medical supplies would be handled by a professional body.
“We have been calling for this and this government has moved on and we are going to see a big change, a stable supply and we’ll be paying the right price for the right goods and quality goods,” Mr. Saini said.