THE United States has announced a sharp $50 million cut in health sector aid to Zambia, citing what it calls the government’s failure to stop the widespread theft of donated medicines, despite repeated warnings.
US ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzales said the decision, though difficult, was inevitable following revelations of systematic corruption in the country’s healthcare supply chain.
‘We will not fund corruption while patients suffer’
Addressing journalists in Lusaka, Gonzales said: ‘We are no longer willing to underwrite the personal enrichment of fraudsters or the corrupt while Zambian patients go without, or are forced to pay for life-saving medications we’ve already provided for free.’
The cuts, which take effect from January next year, will primarily affect the provision of essential drugs for malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis. The US contributes approximately one-third of all public health spending in Zambia, according to the US embassy.
Widespread theft uncovered in pharmacies
A year-long investigation conducted by the embassy revealed that over 2,000 pharmacies across Zambia were selling medicines donated by the US and other international partners, including the Global Fund.
‘Shockingly, in 95 percent of the pharmacies visited, we found donated medical products being sold on the open market,’ the embassy said. Nearly half of those pharmacies stocked items provided directly by the US government.
Some pharmacies were also found selling government-purchased drugs and those from other donor-supported health programmes, prompting widespread concern over the integrity of the entire supply chain.
US frustration over lack of government action
According to the embassy, the US shared its findings with Zambian authorities as early as April last year, offering support and technical assistance to stop the theft and pursue those responsible. But American officials say their calls went unheeded.
‘The government’s actions have fallen drastically short of what is needed to safeguard American assistance and, more importantly, the lives we aim to save,’ the statement read.
Gonzales expressed disappointment that Zambia’s law enforcement agencies had focused mainly on prosecuting low-level operatives and arresting a handful of mid-level officials, while leaving key orchestrators untouched.
Zambian government yet to respond
The Zambian government has not issued any formal response to the US decision or the serious allegations raised. President Hakainde Hichilema has previously criticised the Trump administration’s sweeping foreign aid cuts, saying in March that the US had ‘slapped us on both cheeks.’
In the wake of the aid freeze announced by President Donald Trump earlier this year as part of his ‘America First’ agenda, many African countries, including Zambia, have seen sharp reductions in funding for life-saving healthcare programmes.
A painful decision for Zambians
Fighting back tears, Ambassador Gonzales acknowledged the human cost of the cuts, stressing that the decision was not taken lightly.
‘We understand this will have serious consequences for ordinary Zambians who rely on these medicines. But we cannot justify to the American taxpayer the continued provision of assistance when there is no accountability,’ he said.
The embassy stated that the US remains committed to working with Zambia to strengthen its health systems and prevent further losses — but only if meaningful reforms are undertaken.
