TOKYO - Japan will release around 50 million stockpiled medical gloves from next month as concerns grow over shortages of medical supplies linked to tensions in the Middle East, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.
'We will release 50 million gloves from May for medical institutions facing difficulties securing supplies,' Takaichi said.
Speaking at a ministerial meeting on the Middle East situation held the previous day, Takaichi announced the government would make available approximately 50 million gloves from national reserves.
According to the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry, uncertainty over supply conditions has prompted some buyers to place unusually large orders, making it difficult for some dental clinics and other medical facilities to obtain enough gloves.
Monthly demand from clinics and other medical institutions nationwide is estimated at 90 million gloves. The government plans to begin by releasing 50 million gloves and add more if necessary.
The ministry said it will use an upgraded version of the G-MIS system, which tracks the supply status of medical materials at healthcare institutions, with the goal of starting distribution around late May.
Source: TBS
