Zimbabwe’s government is rolling out a system designed to monitor the distribution of medicines from the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe (NatPharm) to public hospitals, clinics and dispensaries.
The move follows allegations that drugs supplied to state facilities are being diverted and sold through private pharmacies.
Deputy Health Minister Sleiman Kwidini told Parliament on Wednesday that the suspected diversion of medicines was causing substantial financial losses for the government. He said stolen drugs were allegedly being removed from public hospitals and later resold by private pharmaceutical businesses.
Kwidini said the Health Ministry had engaged a company to establish a tracking mechanism covering the entire supply chain. The system is expected to record the movement of medicines from NatPharm to health facilities, as well as identify officials involved in receiving, storing and dispensing the stock.
The deputy minister warned that the technology could expose individuals involved in the alleged leakages. He predicted that some people would try to intervene on behalf of relatives or associates who are identified by the system and face possible prosecution.
According to Kwidini, some of the suspected thefts may involve organised networks operating between NatPharm and public hospitals. He said the tracking system should help authorities determine where medicines disappear from the official distribution chain.
The ministry is also examining possible conflicts of interest involving health workers who run pharmacies close to public hospitals. Kwidini said he had met with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe earlier in the week to discuss restrictions on hospital employees establishing businesses that sell medicines near the facilities where they work.
He added that the regulator was preparing legislation to address the issue. The proposed rules are intended to prevent situations in which health workers could benefit commercially from medicine shortages or influence the movement of drugs from public institutions to private businesses.
The minister’s comments came after lawmakers raised concerns about persistent medicine shortages in public hospitals and claims that supplies intended for government facilities were being redirected to private pharmacies.
