Supply chain interruption or restriction is becoming a fact of life, both in the clinical laboratory and in the wider healthcare environment. Here, Tony Cambridge considers the various issues affecting the supply of consumables to the near-patient testing arena.
Global territories are currently experiencing shortages of multiple products essential for delivering effective healthcare. Having started with shortages of blood collection products such as blood sample tubes, needles and related consumables, the issue is now affecting products used to deliver point-of-care services.
In some cases, service delivery has been interrupted or restricted while procurement teams source products from alternative supply chains. The worry is that this will not be alleviated in the immediate future, and service providers need to be proactive by introducing measures that assure the delivery of optimal patient care.
Why is the supply chain affected?
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