Medicines Delivered To Zimbabwe Hospitals Disappear Within Days, Justice Minister Raises Alarm
Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has blamed corruption and poor accountability for persistent medicine shortages in public hospitals, warning that essential drugs are disappearing before reaching patients. He says the government plans to introduce computerised tracking systems to identify those responsible for medicine losses and strengthen accountability across the public health sector.
The minister made the remarks in Parliament as concerns grow over patients struggling to access essential medication at public health facilities.
Ziyambi Ziyambi Says Medicines Disappear After Hospital Deliveries
Ziyambi told Parliament that corruption was undermining efforts to ensure medicines reach the people who need them.
He suggested that some drugs disappear shortly after being delivered to hospitals, leaving health authorities struggling to establish what happened to the supplies.
The minister illustrated the problem by pointing to the challenges facing the Health Ministry.
“You will find that the Minister of Health and Child Care seated there, will have medicine delivered to a hospital. In no time, they disappear and he will be scratching his head to say what happened,” Ziyambi said.
He added that dishonest individuals were contributing to the breakdown in accountability.
Government Plans Computerised Medicine Tracking System
Ziyambi said computerisation could help close loopholes in the distribution of medicines.
He told Parliament that introducing digital tracking would make it easier to establish who handled or dispensed particular medicines.
“One way of dealing with it is to ensure that we computerise,” he said.
The minister explained that the proposed system would help authorities trace medicine distribution and identify individuals responsible for missing supplies.
Corruption Concerns Put Zimbabwe’s Public Health System Under Spotlight
The proposed tracking system is intended to improve oversight of essential medicines and reduce losses within public hospitals.
However, Ziyambi did not provide a specific implementation date or outline the full details of the proposed system during the remarks reported by ZiFM Stereo News.
The minister’s comments place accountability at the centre of the debate over medicine shortages, with patients depending on public hospitals for access to essential treatment.
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