Transportation logjams hit healthcare supply chain
As hospitals feel the strain of COVID-19 again, they’re faced with the additional challenge of securing more medical supplies. Approximately 8,000 to 12,000 containers of critical medical supplies are being held up in U.S. ports.
While the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in California face the biggest medical supply logjams, Savannah, Georgia, is also heavily congested, according to the Health Industry Distributors Association.
A single shipping container could carry approximately 190,000 medical gowns, 360,000 syringes and 3.5 million surgical gloves, according to HIDA estimates. The association’s 111 members delivered more than 51 billion units of personal protective equipment in 2020.
But the supplies face additional delays once they make it through customs. Truck and driver shortages are adding another nine days on average to the schedule.
The supply chain issues could ultimately affect patient care, and several healthcare associations including HIDA are working with port leaders to expedite medical equipment shipping.
“HIDA recommends a fast-pass system to prioritize essential medical supplies through ports, onto rail and truck for expedited delivery to the front lines of healthcare,” Matthew Rowan, HIDA president and CEO, said in a news release. “Rules and regulations impeding timely and efficient movement of critical medical supplies must be relaxed during a public health emergency.”■