Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to release 50mn medical gloves from pandemic reserves as concerns grow across Asia about shortages of healthcare supplies caused by the war in the Middle East.
Doctors in Japan have warned that disruption to the flow of oil and naphtha from the Gulf could cause critical shortages of medical supplies within two months, potentially even forcing the closure of cash-strapped healthcare facilities that cannot afford their soaring prices.
The concerns about medical supplies highlight the widening international impact of the near-closure of the crucial Hormuz Strait supply route since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The Gulf is a key supplier to Asia of oil and of naphtha, a raw material used to produce the petrochemicals needed to make many medical goods.