The war in Iran has put the NHS on high alert amid fears about looming shortages and rising costs for medicines and medical products such as syringes, intravenous bags and gloves, the Guardian reports.
Much of modern healthcare is dependent on the petrochemicals now held up by the Gulf shipping standstill – whether for active pharmaceutical ingredients or to produce the millions of sterile single-use items, ranging from personal protective equipment (PPE) to catheters and diagnostic-device casings.
The NHS is one of the biggest healthcare bulk buyers in the world. It spends £8bn a year on equipment and consumables, from latex gloves and paper towels to stents and prosthetic hips. Its bill for medicines was £21.6bn in 2024-25.
Temporary scarcity of certain drugs and equipment is fairly common and has worsened since Brexit and during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Iran war now threatens to widen and deepen such shortages in the UK and globally, pushing up costs and leading to a scramble among countries for supplies.
Date: 28 April