The escalation in the Persian Gulf is threatening to disrupt the supply of medical consumables to European hospitals. According to Spiegel, Chinese chemical companies have formally invoked force‑majeure because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and they can no longer fulfil delivery contracts on the agreed terms. The products most affected are disposable gloves, protective gowns and drainage tubes, which insiders estimate account for roughly 70 % of all clinical consumables.
“Six out of ten manufacturers in China are currently refusing new orders” says Michael Koch, product‑project manager at Medika Medizintechnik, citing a return to the raw‑material market dynamics of the COVID era. “The one who pays most gets the material”. He believes price increases of at least 20 % are realistic, while the Harzklinik in Quedlinburg warns that hikes of up to 30 % could hit hospitals hard.
So far, shortages have not yet been felt in German hospitals because their stocks remain full. Nonetheless, industry experts warn that it is only a matter of time before the crisis becomes evident.
