Japanese doctors warn Iran war threatens medical supplies

{"text":[[{"start":7.45,"text":"Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to release 50mn medical gloves from pandemic reserves as concerns grow across Asia about shortages of healthcare supplies caused by the war in the Middle East."}],[{"start":21,"text":"Doctors in Japan have warned that disruption to the flow of oil and naphtha from the Gulf could cause critical shortages of medical supplies within two months, potentially even forcing the closure of cash-strapped healthcare facilities that cannot afford their soaring prices."}],[{"start":37.1,"text":"The concerns about medical supplies highlight the widening international impact of the near-closure of the crucial Hormuz Strait supply route since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The Gulf is a key supplier to Asia of oil and of naphtha, a raw material used to produce the petrochemicals needed to make many medical goods."}],[{"start":58.150000000000006,"text":"“Because the materials are becoming hard to get, necessary and sound medical care is becoming harder to provide,” said Hiromichi Ito, a doctor who runs a clinic in Tokyo. “If this is prolonged, there is concern that we may no longer be able to provide the same high-quality medical care as before.”"}],[{"start":75.65,"text":"Japanese doctors said the difficulty of procuring supplies could mean they have to refuse to give some patients injections, intravenous drips and other treatments within two months."}],[{"start":86.85000000000001,"text":"Medical product distributors in Japan have already announced purchasing restrictions to prevent hoarding amid concerns about a pandemic-style rush to secure medical gloves, syringe packs and dialysis tubing.  "}],[{"start":98.2,"text":"Takaichi announced late on Thursday plans to start releasing from next month around one-tenth of the nearly 500mn medical gloves stockpiled by the government for use in a pandemic."}],[{"start":109.2,"text":"“We have heard from local surgeries and dental clinics about their anxiety over supplies,” national broadcaster NHK quoted Takaichi as saying."}],[{"start":118.10000000000001,"text":"Ito said gloves and IV drips were becoming increasingly hard for his Tokyo clinic to source and, when available, were too expensive to justify buying, given what it could charge patients under health system regulations."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":130.55,"text":"The clinic’s current stocks were set to run out in about two months. If they did, it might be unable to admit patients with heatstroke during Japan’s sultry summer, forcing them to go to major hospitals for treatment instead."}],[{"start":142.8,"text":"Two government officials whose ministries have come under pressure from patient groups to be more transparent about the threat of shortages of key medical equipment said public alarm was steadily rising."}],[{"start":152.35000000000002,"text":"Japan’s health minister Kenichiro Ueno said last week that there were no immediate supply shortages, but “the future situation remains uncertain”."}],[{"start":162.50000000000003,"text":"Nobuharu Yamamoto, a doctor who runs a clinic in south-west Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture, said his stocks of supplies such as syringes, gloves and catheters were rapidly depleting and could run out in a month or two."}],[{"start":177.05000000000004,"text":"“If we can’t get our hands on those items, we are in trouble. Things that we used to be able to regularly order are suddenly going out of stock and we now often don’t know when new stock will come in,” he said, adding the clinic’s operating costs had also surged on rising energy prices."}],[{"start":195.55000000000004,"text":"At a recent meeting of private doctors, Yamamoto said he had discussed the difficulty of securing even simple items such as gloves. “Everyone is struggling with this,” he said."}],[{"start":205.70000000000005,"text":"On Wednesday, Takaichi unveiled a $10bn aid package to help secure crude oil supplies for south-east Asian nations which produce medical products. "}],[{"start":215.35000000000005,"text":"Resource-poor Japan has made substantial preparations for disruption of supplies of crude oil, including establishing more than 250 days’ worth of inventories. But those stockpiles do little to address dependence on products manufactured using petrochemicals in poorer Asian countries that cannot secure crude or naphtha from the Gulf.  "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":237.00000000000006,"text":"Other Asian countries have also become anxious about supplies of products for medical use. Authorities in South Korea have warned against price collusion and hoarding and this week announced a ban on stockpiling ​of syringes and ‌needles."}],[{"start":250.80000000000007,"text":"Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s health minister, this month said the country must be alert to any disruption in the flow of petrochemicals required to produce gloves and syringes as well as to the chemicals used to make drugs. "}],[{"start":265.70000000000005,"text":"“The global supply chain is actually not a chain, but it’s a very intricate web and we need to monitor those downstream domino effects,” Ong said."}],[{"start":275.15000000000003,"text":"Japan is in a particularly weak position, medical specialists say, because regulations prevent hospitals and clinics from charging more to cover the extra cost of consumables that have in many cases doubled in price. "}],[{"start":288.6,"text":"Masahiro Kami, president of the Medical Governance Research Institute, said hospitals were already reeling from the impact of low pricing, inflation and the weak yen, which has pushed up costs for the import-dependent healthcare system. "}],[{"start":302.40000000000003,"text":"A further increase in costs could lead “many” hospitals to close permanently, Kami said. "}],[{"start":308.55,"text":"Askul, a major Japanese distributor, said on Wednesday it was restricting purchases of latex gloves and medical tape to prevent shortages caused by customers stockpiling. "}],[{"start":319.35,"text":"Some believe that Japan has more time before the real crunch hits. "}],[{"start":324.20000000000005,"text":"Yukio Aoki, an adviser at the Japan Association of Health Industry Distributors, said stockpiles were expanded following the Covid-19 pandemic."}],[{"start":333.70000000000005,"text":"“We’ve received many notices from manufacturers saying that production may be disrupted in the future, so they may impose shipment restrictions,” he said. “While we do have relatively ample reserves and inventory, if the situation becomes prolonged — beyond about six months — it could become very severe.”"}],[{"start":357.80000000000007,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1776450770_9731.mp3"}