By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care has sounded the alarm on weak accountability systems in the national health supply chain, warning that pilferage, wastage, and poor financial oversight continue to threaten access to essential medicines.
Speaking at a high-level dialogue on today at the Crown Plaza Monomotapa Hotel, Health Secretary Dr. Aspect J.V. Maunganidze urged provincial accounting officers and institutions to embrace digital technologies to strengthen procurement, inventory management, and transparency.
“A robust supply chain is the lifeblood of an effective health service delivery system,” he said. “If we are not tracking stock with modern tools and transparent financial practices, then we are simply inviting wastage, leakages, and corruption.”
The forum, held under the theme “Harmonizing Health Products Financing and Supply Chain Management Systems,” brought together government leaders, development partners, civil society, and private sector actors to address Zimbabwe’s chronic drug stockouts and inefficiencies.
He stressed that Zimbabwe’s central medical stores, NatPharm, could not remain viable without adopting a revolving fund model supported by strong oversight and digital integration. Without such reforms, he warned, stockouts and service disruptions would persist.
“NatPharm must operate under the correct financing model—one that allows funds to revolve efficiently. Without this, we will not be able to replenish stock on time or safeguard public health resources,” he said.
The Secretary further called for lessons to be drawn from facility-level experiences, saying real-time insights from hospitals and clinics were vital for building strategies that are both practical and scalable.
He also made it clear that government cannot shoulder the burden alone, calling for stronger collaboration with donors, private suppliers, and communities.
“Access to quality health products is central to patient safety. But for this to be guaranteed, every dollar and every pill must be accounted for,” Dr. Maunganidze said.
The dialogue forms part of Zimbabwe’s broader post-COVID-19 health sector recovery and reform agenda. Stakeholders are expected to craft a set of actionable recommendations to improve supply chain governance, curb leakages, and strengthen digital monitoring systems.
Concluding the event, Dr. Maunganidze expressed confidence that the discussions would yield practical reforms: “I am confident today’s dialogue will deliver concrete steps to strengthen governance, financing, and digital integration in our supply chains. Accountability must be at the center of everything we do.”