$50m in health care aid to Zambia cut by US

The US last week announced that it is cutting $50m in aid to Zambia's health sector, due to the country's failure to address the ‘systematic theft’ of donated drugs and medical supplies. BBC News reports that the decision was taken after repeated warnings to the Zambian Government to safeguard vital drugs meant for the country's most vulnerable patients. ‘We are no longer willing to underwrite the personal enrichment of fraudsters or the corrupt when patients go without or have to buy life-saving medications that we have provided for free,’ said US Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales. The cuts are separate to the sweeping foreign aid freeze announced by President Donald Trump in January. The Zambian health sector is heavily funded by foreign donors, but there have been previous reports of widespread misappropriation and corruption involving senior health officials. More than 2 000 pharmacies across Zambia were found selling donated drugs and medical supplies in a year-long investigation conducted by the US Embassy.