The current drug shortage is a national disaster which requires immediate action by Government, Chama North Member of Parliament, Yotam Mtayachalo has said.
He said those appointed to run the Ministry of Health and procurement at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) should be held accountable for the shortage of drugs and other medical supplies.
“It can’t be business as usual and therefore I want to challenge Government that all those people who are in charge of making sure that there is no shortage of drugs in the country, must be held accountable,” he said.
Mr Mtayachalo said since people responsible for the shortage have not resigned on moral grounds, Government should now take action to save the situation.
And Mporokoso Member of Parliament and leader of opposition in parliament Brian Mundubile said the shortage of drugs is as a result of administration failure.
Mr Mundubile said the UPND cannot claim to be in the “champions league” when it has failed to resolve problems in the health and other sectors.
He said foreigners who are clapping and praising the new dawn administration that it is doing well are just fooling them and doing so because of their vested interest in the country’s resources.
“You can only claim to be in the ‘champions league’ if the citizens say so and not an investor who is interested in the country’s resources,” he said.
Mr Mundubile said if the new dawn administration wants to politic, they should reserve the Health sector as it involves the lives of citizens.
He said a lot of citizens may have lost their lives because of drug shortages in public health facilities which should never be the case had the UPND government listened to advise.
Meanwhile, Nkana Independent Member of Parliament, Binwell Mpundu urged both government and opposition to stop politicising the health sector as it is a matter of life and death.
Mr Mpundu said the problems in the sector have not started today and therefore there is need for collective action to remedy the shortage of medical supplies in public health institutions.
He said the country has enough resources for procurement of drugs and that what was causing the shortage is the transition of procurement from the Ministry of Health to ZAMMSA.
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