Middle East situation causes shortages of Japanese medical supplies, potentially affecting dialysis for 340,000 patients

Relevant industry insiders are calling on the Japanese government to take prompt countermeasures to avoid delaying dialysis treatment for approximately 340,000 patients. Japan's medical industry is highly dependent on oil derivatives from the Middle East, with medical supplies such as dialysis tubing, medical gloves, and waste liquid collection bags all made from naphtha extracted from crude oil. As supplies of naphtha from the Middle East become tighter, shortages of certain types of medical consumables may occur between mid-April and around August, depending on the category. Some Japanese companies that produce dialysis tubing have stated that, due to insufficient naphtha supply from the Middle East, their factories in Thailand and Vietnam may not be able to ship products to Japan around August. According to statistics from the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy, as of the end of 2024, there are approximately 340,000 dialysis patients in the country. According to Japanese media reports on the 12th, many medical institutions are concerned that subsequent shortages of medical consumables such as dialysis tubing could threaten these patients’ “lifelines.” Some doctors have stated that the naphtha shortage will severely impact Japan's medical industry, but so far, no effective government countermeasures have been observed.