US to cut $50 million health aid to Zambia because of medicine theft

The United States said on Thursday that it will cut $50 million in annual aid to Zambia because of what it described as the “systemic theft” of donated drugs and medical supplies.

Washington’s ambassador to the country, Michael Gonzales, said the “difficult” decision comes after repeated warnings to the government to safeguard the vital medicines.

These included life-saving drugs to treat malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis.

He said the US discovered in 2021 that medicine and medical supplies that were meant to be provided free to Zambians were being taken and sold by pharmacies across country.

An investigation of around 2,000 pharmacies in Zambia between 2021 and 2023 found that nearly half of them were selling medicines and products paid for by US aid funds.

Gonzales said the Zambian government failed to do enough to address the corruption after being informed of the theft scandal last year.

He said the US was no longer willing to “underwrite the personal enrichment of fraudsters” with American taxpayers money.

The embassy in Zambia said it accounts for about a third of public health spending in the country.

There was no immediate comment on Thursday from the Zambian government.

The cuts are separate from a broader review of foreign aid spend by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Gonzales said he had recommended that the US start cutting the aid from January next year to give Zambia time to plan new procurements of the life-saving drugs.