Declining birthrate and dwindling usage are leading to a shortage of pediatric drugs and medical supplies. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is slated to hold expert meetings in June to establish a list pediatric drugs and medical supplies that are prone to shortage and build a logistics center to assist hospital procurement efforts while aiming to implement new solutions before the end of this year.
Amid a declining birthrate, the medical community is facing shortages in pediatric critical care personnel, drugs and medical supplies that require additional import approvals from the MOHW, which has posed as a burden on care providers. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chong in February promised legislators that a reporting platform would be established to coordinate and consolidate procurement efforts among major hospitals.
The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) today held a seminar on addressing the shortage of pediatric drugs and medical supplies that gathered the opinions of pediatricians, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration and the National Health Insurance Administration’s Department of Medical Affairs to explore possible solutions.
Child Health Research Center, National Health Research Institutes Secretary-General Chen Mei-hui said that Taiwan’s declining birthrate has led to lower demand for medical devices and drugs, thereby decreasing the size of the market, which in turn has diminished the willingness of importers and manufacturers to stock inventory, putting children at risk of shortages.
The NHRI in May last year conducted a survey of 21 pediatric hospitals, medical centers and pediatric associations and identified a list of 54 drugs and 53 medical devices that are prone to shortages.
Regarding the shortage of pediatric drugs, the survey found that two items have gone out of production, while eight other drugs are not regularly stocked by hospitals despite having import permits. In addition, 14 drugs were found to have import permits but are facing impending shortage. Meanwhile, there are 30 other drugs that do not do not have standing import permits and require special applications.
Secretary-General Chen said that to gain a clearer picture of hospitals’ actual needs, the MOHW between March and May this year held three meetings during which a three-phase solution was formulated to address impending shortage. The solution includes the formation of a committee of experts on sourcing difficult-to-procure drugs and medical supplies, a logistics center as well as an information platform.
The committee will comprise experts drawn from dedicated organizations such as pediatric associations and hospitals, who will provide opinions on the reporting, evaluation and procurement of shortage items, while the logistics center will handle the purchasing and stocking of the drugs at hospitals. The information platform will assist in consolidating drug product data and permit applications to tackle shortages of different items.
Department of Medical Affairs Director-General Shih Chung-liang said that with the committee, logistics center and information platform up and running, care providers will be able to list their needs in a single procurement and distribution platform, which would help in predicting and preventing drug shortages and provide enough lead time for manufacturers. Director-General Shih emphasized that this is the first platform of its kind in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the current task force has begun working on the list of shortage items and the new system is expected to go online before the end of this year following its first meeting this month.
【2019-06-01 / CNA】
