We are seven months into the pandemic. Many Americans are still mourning the past, anxious about the present, and fearful of the future. A lot of these negative emotions have to do with concerns over health safety. And medical supplies play perhaps the most crucial role when it comes to ensuring safety amid a crisis like this. Yet, America is still reeling under a severe shortage of medical supplies. Ask bulk PPE suppliers in the USA, and they would tell you about the overwhelming demands across the country.
You might find it hard to believe that there’s a nationwide medical supply shortage at this point. Yet, after all these months of unprecedented focus on all things associated with medical care, the shortage prevails. The problem of personal protective equipment shortage in the U.S. is not over yet. Front-line workers are still dealing with a scarce supply of medical protective clothing and other equipment. A significant number of medical care facilities and nursing homes still need to waste time waiting for the desired PPE equipment. Be it disposable masks, gloves, or protective clothing, medical professionals don’t have the necessary supply.
What’s causing the PPE shortages?
The most prominent barriers to smooth medical supplies are the same challenges that have obstructed American industrial ingenuity during this pandemic. These are a set of systemic problems that have long pulled back the U.S. medical supplies industry.
Inadequate funds
First, a staggering number of hospitals across the U.S. face inadequate funding. Critical care and inpatient services during a crisis like this are the least profitable areas. Besides, hospitals across the country have lost millions of dollars due to cancellations of procedures prompted by the health crisis. Uninsured hospital visits increased 114% from March to June 2020, according to a report by CNBC. All these factors have created a complex financial crisis in hospitals.
Sheer unpredictability
All of us know that the demands for PPE have skyrocketed over the past few months. However, one thing that most of us overlook is the unpredictability of these demands. This unpredictability makes it difficult for personal protective equipment companies to ramp up production. Established PPE manufacturers and new entrants alike rely on forecasts about future medical supply demands.
But the nature of this healthcare crisis makes it difficult—if not impossible— to predict demands. Rapid surge and flattening of the curve in different regions make the supply-demand equation overwhelmingly unstable. That means manufacturers must be incredibly cautious about their production plans.
Since most PPE manufacturers already face budget challenges, they are reluctant to risk investments in production. Timing is particularly crucial when you are relying on a volatile market for profit. And it ultimately slows down the PPE production, hampering the medical supply chain.
An unsupportive SNS
The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is another key factor associated with these shortages. During a public health crisis like this, medical care providers that run low on supplies are supposed to rely on SNS. The SNS was originally created as a safety-net amidst crises like this pandemic.
But the SNS has been reportedly unprepared to support health care organizations during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to challenges like low visibility, the SNS was unable to provide the support and resources it is supposed to deliver. It has only contributed to the long medical supply shortage nationwide.
Deficient collaborations
Lastly, persistent concerns about fraud have kept hospitals from collaborating with unfamiliar manufacturers. And these concerns are not unfounded. A staggering number of unauthentic PPE manufacturers have popped up over the past few months.
Although regulatory agencies like the FDA have shortened timelines to provide safe PPE to healthcare providers, it has not slowed down the swarm of unreliable PPE. Such products are usually imported from countries like China. It’s difficult for healthcare organizations to differentiate between authentic and counterfeit products. Bulk PPE suppliers in the USA must proactively reach out to organizations and foster collaborations.
Conclusion
Problems that have been obstructing the medical supply chain are solvable. Be it financial crunch, the market’s unpredictability, or concerns over counterfeiting, strategic collaboration can deal with them. Hospitals and personal protective equipment companies must come together to create a long-term roadmap for dealing with crises like this. It could be an opportunity for the American medical supply industry to get battle-ready for unpredictable demand surges.
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