December 20, 2022 – “China Begins Live Fire Drills, Effectively Blockading Taiwan” roared the headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal several months back. The following day, in their “Review” section, the headline read “The Coming War Over Taiwan.” Should these headlines and opinions stir a reaction if you are a healthcare supply chain professional? Probably.
We learned earlier this year it doesn’t take much to mess up the U.S. healthcare supply chain for commonly used – but vital – products. For products such as contrast media, which in part come from American-based companies, we learned the answers are not always self-evident or easy to understand. A major plant was in Shanghai. Then there was baby formula. Really?
The contrast shortage taught us valuable lessons. If you don’t have products readily on hand in sufficient quantity, it can result in lost patients and revenue. Moreover, shortages have added days or weeks to some patients getting an important diagnosis – something no one wants to go through or must wait for. This shortage came about because of a China lockdown for COVID.
Now, the U.S. Customs Service is implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Companies doing business in China must now prove to their satisfaction that products being imported into the U.S. were not produced by forced labor. While this impacts products from the Xinjiang region of China the most, and it is not a major supplier of disposable medical products, it does produce sophisticated components for many types of equipment.
How vulnerable is your supply chain if relations between the U.S. and China continue to worsen? What would happen if major airports or shipping lanes are closed? What if Taiwan exports of medical products and components used in med tech devices suddenly dry up?
Read more in the latest issue of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.
While measures have been taken to reduce healthcare associated infections for patients and providers, there is still plenty of work to be done. With the right tools, providers can ensure the health and safety of their patients, and at the same time protect themselves and improve efficiency throughout the facility. With the amount of time spent on disinfecting and cleaning healthcare facilities, it’s imperative that staff are equipped with what they need to quickly and fully disinfect surfaces and workstations.
Metrex has launched their newest cleaning product, CaviWipes HP to help healthcare workers maintain the level of cleanliness they need to operate on a daily basis. CaviWipes HP is the newest member of the CaviWipes family, providing a fast 1-minute universal contact time from an alcohol-free hydrogen peroxide formulation that fully qualifies for the EPA’s rigorous Emerging Viral Pathogen Claim.
Read more in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.