When the infection with the new coronavirus spread in the spring, the lack of protective equipment such as masks and gowns necessary to prevent the infection at medical institutions became a problem, but there is still a shortage of disposable gloves for medical use. It became clear that there was.
According to a survey of nurses who take measures against infection at medical institutions nationwide, about 60% of the respondents answered that they were deficient or deficient, raising concerns from the medical field.
The survey was conducted by Professor Elisa Sugawara of Tokyo Health Care University Graduate School earlier this month, targeting approximately 220 nurses taking preventive measures against infection at medical institutions throughout Japan, and 87 respondents, or approximately 40%, responded.
Medical professionals who deal with the new coronavirus use disposable medical gloves made of synthetic rubber to prevent infection, but when asked if they were sufficient, 12.6% said they were "insufficient" and "insufficient". "I'm doing it" was 44.8%, which is close to 60% in total, indicating that securing is an issue.
Furthermore, regarding the current status of securing gloves, 93% of the respondents answered that they had a sense of crisis or anxiety.
The survey said that the price has more than doubled, making it difficult to obtain, and that gloves of other non-medical materials have to be used, and that it is not necessary outside the medical field. There was also an opinion that we would like you to refrain from using gloves.
Professor Sugawara said, "It is no exaggeration to say that lack of gloves is a problem that leads to nosocomial infections, and there will be no weapons to fight. First of all, it is important to secure the necessary amount of medical staff, and gloves used outside medical care I would like you to review it once to see if it is really necessary. "
Insufficient clinic "Fear is getting stronger"
Medical sites suffering from a shortage of disposable gloves From medical sites, there are voices of anxiety about the situation where shortages continue.
At the internal medicine clinic in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, after April when the infection with the new coronavirus spread, it became difficult to obtain synthetic rubber and nitrile gloves that fit tightly in the hand and are easy to treat, and in July. Since then, the shortage has become more serious, with deliveries only about once a month.
At the clinic, PCR tests are performed to check if the patient is infected during home medical care, but the amount used has increased more than before, such as the need for gloves, and one box containing 200 sheets. It means that it will be used up in about 3 days.
At the clinic, nurses try to save even a little by washing their hands and using them while wearing gloves when working without contact with the patient.
In addition, the price of gloves was 2400 yen per box of 200 pieces last month, which is about 2.5 times higher than in January before the infection spread, and while the number of patients is decreasing due to refraining from consultation, management aspect But it's becoming a burden.
Plastic gloves are also used at the clinic, but they say that synthetic rubber gloves are necessary because they do not fit the fingertips and it is difficult to collect blood.
Yoshiyasu Doi, Deputy Director of Doi Internal Medicine Clinic, said, "Gloves are absolutely necessary, and I'm afraid that they will come in the future. I think that even if I use it once, I can still use it, but that's right. I think that what I think is something that should not be done to prevent infection. I really want medical institutions to supply a sufficient amount. "
Insufficient gloves even at the nursing care site
The shortage of gloves has become a problem even in the field of long-term care, and according to the "National Council of Welfare Facilities for the Elderly" created at long-term care facilities nationwide, there have been a series of voices saying that gloves are insufficient for about two months.
Of these, the NPO in Shizuoka City, which operates businesses such as home-visit nursing care and day services, uses about 800 disposable plastic gloves a month for food assistance, mouth care, and disposal of excrement. That is.
However, from around the summer, after the pharmacies that usually buy gloves continued to run out of stock, the price began to rise in September, and the price of 100 pieces per box was 360 yen, but now it is 1200 yen. It means that it is more than tripled.
Yutaka Kitano, vice president of the corporation, said, "We have no choice but to limit the free use of gloves by helpers. Gloves are originally needed regardless of corona, and it is difficult to provide long-term care services. "It has become," he complained of a difficult situation.
Competitive price soars due to global shortage
In the production of gloves such as synthetic rubber and nitrile used in the medical field, Malaysia, where production bases are concentrated, accounts for about two-thirds of the world's share, and since the spread of the new coronavirus infection began. Prices are skyrocketing due to competition around the world.
Under these circumstances, last month, the world's largest rubber glove maker "Top Gloves" in Malaysia confirmed that thousands of employees were infected with the new coronavirus, and the factory was temporarily closed.
According to the company, it produces 26% of the rubber gloves distributed in the world, but due to the temporary closure of the factory, the delivery of gloves is expected to be delayed by 2 to 4 weeks, so some media Reports that prices could rise further.
According to the Malaysian glove industry group, many countries are buying gloves for healthcare professionals, and demand will continue to grow, so next year, demand for rubber gloves will reach 430 billion pieces worldwide. Expected to increase by 20%.
Supra Marnium, chairman of the Malaysian Rubber Gloves Producers Association, pointed out that "the rising demand far beyond supply has led to a shortage of raw materials for nitrile gloves, leading to higher prices."
"The shortage of gloves is a global problem. Even if the pandemic subsides, demand will continue to outpace supply for the next few years due to heightened hygiene awareness," he said.
At "Moraine Corporation" in Nakano-ku, Tokyo, which imports and sells medical materials in Japan, we will try to obtain medical gloves by making reservations for production facilities in Malaysia in collaboration with a British company. doing.
President Tsuneki Kusaba said, "Glove production requires large production facilities and a large amount of water, making it difficult for newcomers to enter the market. In addition, the supply of raw materials has not kept pace with demand, and prices have been rising for a long time. Recently, the United States has been bullish. I'm coming to buy gloves with this attitude. Even if it's a product that will be produced six months in advance, even if it's teamed up with another country, if you don't hold it down now, it will be even more difficult to obtain it. "
The reason why domestic production is not possible
The industry's largest manufacturer in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, which handles more than 2000 types of gloves for industrial and household use, makes rubber gloves for household use at domestic factories, but synthetic rubber for medical use and nitrile gloves are used. Even if it is manufactured in Japan, it is not profitable, so we purchased all from our partner Malaysian manufacturers.
The number was 400 million a year, but due to the spread of the infection, the price has risen three to four times as much as before, and since March, only about half of the number ordered has been purchased. about it.
For this reason, in September, we decided to purchase land in Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture, and start domestic production of medical gloves.
Hiroyuki Kochi, General Manager of Showa Glove Business Promotion Headquarters, said, "It is important to take the supply chain overseas and reduce costs in order to grow the company, but in the event of an emergency, there are risks across countries. It can be completed domestically. I learned that it is also important to do so. I want to be able to deliver it properly to places that have not arrived now. "
However, it is not always possible to start manufacturing immediately.
Medical gloves have different manufacturing processes and raw materials from those for home use, and it is difficult to stably supply high-quality products that meet the standards of thinness and strength without technology and know-how.
The manufacturer plans to learn technology from its partner Malaysian manufacturer and secure raw materials, aiming for operation in the spring of 2023, three years later, and until then, I think that there is no choice but to procure from overseas. I will.
"Manufacturing nitrile gloves requires a lot of water, but there are many industrial parks where the amount of water that can be used is fixed, so it was difficult to find this time. The water is abundant and the area is large to some extent. In fact, there may not be so many places in Japan. "
Insufficient gloves Government measures
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is a medical institution that is likely to run out of stock of medical gloves from June, as well as medical masks and gowns necessary for infection prevention measures due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. It is distributed preferentially to the target, and by last month, about 127 million sets have been distributed.
In addition, medical gloves include those made of synthetic rubber and those made of vinyl chloride, but almost all of them are imported, and soaring prices have led to a financial burden on medical institutions. Therefore, the government has decided to tentatively eliminate tariffs on imports of vinyl chloride disposable gloves next year.
Furthermore, until now, there were no statistics on the demand and production volume of medical gloves, and the actual situation could not be grasped, so the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare investigated domestic production volume and import volume, etc., and during this fiscal year I want to put it together.