Provision of medical supplies: Urgent measures needed to prevent hoarding

Editorial

17:17 JST, April 15, 2026

The United States has moved to block the Strait of Hormuz against Iran’s attempts to bring the key hub for energy transportation under its control.

Concerns have now grown only bigger over the procurement of crude oil and naphtha, a raw material for petroleum products.

A prolonged blockade of the waterway could have widespread repercussions on various industries and daily life. What is particularly important under the circumstances is to ensure a stable supply of life-saving medical supplies.

The government must assess without a hitch whether medicines and medical supplies are being distributed sufficiently and also ensure their response is finely tuned.

The primary concern is a shortage of products made from petroleum-derived plastics and synthetic rubber. These range from gloves and IV bags to syringes and blood circuits for dialysis.

These products are generally single-use from an infection control perspective and cannot be reused just because they are in short supply.

Healthcare workers have begun reporting that “gloves have become hard to get.” Patients, particularly those whose lives depend on dialysis, have also voiced their concerns.

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Kenichiro Ueno said, “There is no immediate risk of supply disruptions” regarding medical products in general. However, inquiries received by the government from medical institutions suggest that there is a possibility of future shortages in products used for dialysis and surgery.

The health ministry made use of an information sharing system — which is typically employed during disasters — and began gathering information from medical institutions on the status of their stockpile. It must carefully examine the information from each institution and come up with measures to improve the situation if there are any supply shortages.

It is feared distribution bottlenecks will spread if medical institutions or wholesalers rush to stock up on these supplies out of growing concerns over a future shortage.

It is important that the government urge them to refrain from ordering more than necessary or maintaining excessive inventory. At the same time, it should provide accurate information on the supply situation as needed so as not to make medical staff and patients worry.

Manufacturers and wholesalers should be aware of the critical nature of these life-saving products and actively cooperate with the government’s efforts.

It is also important for medical institutions to share scarce supplies with one another.

Following rising prices, the government has decided to significantly increase medical service fees to be paid to medical institutions from June. However, the deteriorating situation in the Middle East could raise the prices of medical supplies more than anticipated.

The impact on the financial health of medical institutions must be closely monitored.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 15, 2026)