By Bennie Mundando
A RUCKUS has continued over Honeybee’s alleged supply of defective condoms, surgical gloves, pregnancy test kits, and vaginal inserts which, among other things, has led to the cleanup at the Ministry of Health.
At the height of a public outcry, President Edgar Lungu fired then Minister of Health, Chitalu Chilufya, a fortnight ago before firing Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Administration, Kakulubelwa Mulalelo, on Tuesday and replaced her with Emmanuel Ngulube.
Ms. Mulalelo is among those at the centre of the Honeybee mischief in which defective condoms and gloves were supplied and distributed in health facilities across the country.
The scandal has also seen a number of substandard drugs being recalled by the Zambia Medicines Regulating Authority (ZAMRA) for not meeting standards thereby re-sparking an outrage over the health of the people who had used such medical supplies.
Now, Golden Party Zambia (GOP) president Jackson Silavwe has called for an expedited prosecution of Honeybee over the development saying his party will not support any company that put the lives of Zambians at risk.
“We shudder to think just how many Zambian lives have been put at risk through this gross negligence.
The recall of medical supplies such as surgical gloves, pregnancy test kits and vaginal inserts supplied by Honeybee Pharmacy to the Ministry of Health of Zambia is a source of great concern.
“The Golden Party of Zambia, will and always support the Zambianisation of our economy. Local economic ownership is at the core of our conscious as it is the surest way to bring down poverty levels and provide quality jobs for our people. However, GPZ will not support local businesses, start-ups and companies that blindly put the lives of our people in danger through providing sub-standard goods and services,” Mr. Silavwe told The Scoop.
He demanded that Honeybee and its associates must have their day in court for its gross negligence.
“We, thus, call for the swift prosecution of honeybee and its associates in the Zambian courts of law. Officials at the Ministry of Health must equally be enveloped in this case for endangering the lives of the very people they are sworn to protect.
Honeybee must be prosecuted,” he said.
