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Investigations are needed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) into allegations that some pharmacies are removing from open sale on their shelves some drugs that may possibly alleviate symptoms of Covid-19 and selling them under the counter at inflated prices and only for foreign currency.
In fact, that investigation, which Zacc says it has started, needs to be widened as there are still pharmacies that insist that some drugs must be sold for foreign currency.
Under the rules set by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for bidders in the weekly foreign currency auctions there are three that are pertinent to an inquiry into the pharmaceutical sector.
The first is that the invoices submitted for payment using auction funds have to be on the priority lists. Well pharmaceuticals are most definitely on that list and in fact are one of the categories that are big enough to be separately listed in the weekly results.
So all approved medicines, those made locally and those imported, should be readily available in Zimbabwe dollars.
If such drugs are being held back for foreign currency sale, or are being priced at high margins, or are being priced at black-market rather than auction rates, then action is needed. And there are allegations that all three practices are followed, at least by some.
The second area that Zacc needs to look at is what happens when a drug does fall into temporary short supply. This can happen when there is a sudden surge in demand, either locally when it can be fixed within a week or two with new imports, or globally when Government action might be needed to ensure Zimbabwe at least gets a fair ration.
But, when something is short, how are pharmacies rationing?
A responsible pharmacy will obviously give priority to established customers, especially if the drug in question is one needed for a chronic ailment where the customer comes every month regularly as clockwork, and then add to the priority list particularly vulnerable patients, if necessary checking with the prescribing doctor.
But if they think the way to ration is to hide the drugs and ration by price, then they need to be hammered.
A couple of established approved medications are now in this category with some primary care doctors wanting to try them out on Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms. They may or may not work, and since a lot of drugs have been tried in other parts of the world with little success the odds are not good.
But the medical authorities, after satisfying themselves that if properly administered the drugs will at least do not, have given the go ahead.
Already we have reports that some pharmacies are rationing by price, and reports that some unscrupulous people are selling the veterinary versions that are not approved for human use. Both evils need to be tracked down to source and eliminated.
The third area for investigation involves the dual business of many retail pharmacies. Some just sell approved medicines, and so just need to keep two sets of accounts, one for local currency and one for foreign currency, and use these largely for tax purposes although they are obliged to spend their own foreign currency on imports before hitting the auctions.
But many have a major sideline, in some cases a dominant sideline, in patent medicines, in what are politely described as health foods, in cosmetics and perfumes, and in assorted goods like hairdryers. None of these are likely to be on approved lists and the temptation to leak foreign currency revenue from those customers buying medicine who prefer using foreign currency, which is quite legal if cannot be made compulsory, to the luxury trade, must be strong. Zacc need to ensure that multiple accounts are kept.
All of this will explode in our faces if we do not fix them first when the Covid-19 vaccines become available in Zimbabwe.
Despite the social media chatter from anti-vaxxers, most people will want to be vaccinated and have their families vaccinated as soon as possible.
Like every other country, the Zimbabwean Government will set priorities as the deliveries of the approved vaccines are made, and hopefully will at least at the beginning manage the whole distribution and inoculation process.
This means we will start by vaccinating the most vulnerable and working our way down the lists in a fair and responsible way, with everyone waiting to take their turn.
But there are already reports in countries where vaccination programmes have started of rich people cheating, paying bribes, using influence and manipulating the system to jump the queue.
And we have seen with Covid-19 testing some individuals in the public sector health services ready to cheat unless adequate controls are put in place. So we need those controls and auditing.
We do not need some rich young healthy low-priority business person pushing an old person out of the queue by handing out big US dollar banknotes.
While Government has committed US$100 million to buy vaccines, we might need more. Government has, very sensibly, said it will also mobilise some private sector support.
It is easy to imagine, for example, a large mine wanting to see its entire workforce vaccinated, along with the families in the company housing, and being prepared to use some of their retained export earnings to pay for the doses.
It makes good business sense if nothing else. So long as their efforts add to Zimbabwe’s vaccine ration or fit into the priority list, this must be welcomed.
But what we have already seen with an unproven drug, we might also face diversions from the national vaccine supply, fakes or unapproved vaccines being made available, and other corrupt practices.
It is one thing to allow those who can afford to pay to do so, so long as they take their turn and fund extra vaccine supplies, but it is quite another to wreck a proper vaccination programme with corruption.
This means that Zacc and other authorities, while probing the pharmacies and the laboratories that are already under investigation, need to set up systems that will make it easy to uncover swiftly abuses in the vaccine procurement and distribution, and preferably make those systems good enough that they will deter the dishonest.
We have learned a lot about the almost unlimited imaginations of the dishonest, and blocked a lot of corruption and profiteering already.
We need to apply that knowledge when it comes to our national vaccination programme so it is fair and effective.
Online Reporter