The U.S. ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales, announced his distress over stolen medical supplies during a recent press conference, culminating in a cut of $50 million in aid. Gonzales highlighted that extensive investigations revealed 95% of pharmacies sold stolen drugs, affecting the poorest families in rural regions. He expressed heartache knowing that vulnerable communities would suffer from the loss of access to medications, particularly anti-malarials, while emphasizing his obligation to ensure responsible use of U.S. resources amid widespread theft involving senior officials.
"I've lost sleep over this. I've cried over this because I know that it's not going to be senior officials or the senior people who are getting rich from this, who are going to hurt. I know it's going to be the poor family in rural Zambia whose baby gets malaria and they won't have access to anti-malarials. It breaks my heart."
"The scope, the frequency, the patterns of the theft leave me with zero doubt that this is an organized criminal endeavor that includes fairly senior people."
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