The Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia (PSZ) has […]

The Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia (PSZ) has called for increased pharmaceutical funding in the 2027 National Budget to help in recruitment of more pharmacists and pharmacy technologists to improve medicine management in public health facilities.

 Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times ZBT, PSZ president Emmanuel Katai Mulenga said the sector hopes for the 2027 budget allocation in pharmaceutical to increase K6.4 billion allocated in 2026 to more than K8.4 billion, noting that although funding had increased over the years, employment of pharmaceutical remains low. professional’s

“More qualified personnel were needed to ensure medicines were properly handled, stored and dispensed, particularly in rural health facilities and that’s why we expect that the allocation will be increased to K8.4 billion above the 2026 amount,” said Mulenga.

He said increased funding should be accompanied by stronger accountability systems to safeguard medicines and address supply-chain challenges, including concerns over missing consignments and contracts awarded to unregistered pharmaceutical suppliers.

“We can only protect these commodities once we have qualified people who are handling them,” Mulenga said.

 He expressed hope that proposed reforms at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMSA), including separating procurement from storage, warehousing and distribution, would improve the management of pharmaceutical supplies and ensure public resources translated into better access to medicines.

Artical by Karen Ngulube