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A26 U.S. NEWS
Monday 30 March 2020
Relief package billions can't buy hospitals out of shortages

By MARTHA MENDOZA and up, but only in the past
JULIET LINDERMAN week have many others
Associated Press followed. A frenzied push to
The billions of tax dollars increase domestic produc-
headed for hospitals and tion is too little and too late,
states as part of the $2.2 said Prashant Yadav, a vis-
trillion coronavirus response iting fellow at the center.
bill won't fix the problem Trump on Friday an-
facing doctors and nurses: nounced that he was us-
a critical shortage of pro- ing his power under the
tective gowns, gloves and Defense Production Act to
masks. order General Motors to
The problem isn't a lack of begin manufacturing ven-
money, experts say. It's that tilators — work that had al-
there's not enough of those ready been underway, AP
supplies available to buy. reported.
What's more, the crisis has Yadav said that in addi-
revealed a fragmented tion to more supplies, states
procurement system now and hospitals need a bet-
descending into chaos just ter way to allocate medi-
as demand soars, The Asso- cal supplies to the places
ciated Press has found. they're needed most.
Hospitals, state govern- In this March 17, 2020, photo, Theresa Malijan, a registered nurse, has hand sanitizer applied on "The real challenge is not
ments and the Federal her hands after removing her gloves after she took a nasopharyngeal swab from a patient at a having a clear dashboard-
Emergency Management drive-thru COVID-19 testing station for University of Washington Medicine patients in Seattle. like function that can help
Agency are left bidding Associated Press. match demand and sup-
against each other and and may not be feasible if cal supplies were plummet- N95 mask a day to protect ply. Just infusing more cash
driving up prices. the suppliers are located in ing due to factory closures against tiny particulates. doesn't create that," he
For more than a week, gov- other parts of the world that in China, where manufac- "Wearing the same mask said Friday.
ernors have pushed back are currently crippled by turers had been required to from patient to patient to Before the crisis, hospitals
against administration as- the coronavirus," said Kait- sell all or part of their goods patient, what are you do- typically bought masks,
surances that supplies are lin Wowak, an assistant pro- internally rather than export ing? Are we taking care gloves and other equip-
available now, bitterly fessor at University of Notre to other countries. of them or putting them at ment through independent
complaining to President Dame business school who Now that bottleneck has greater risk?" she said. purchasers that bargain
Donald Trump that there's specializes in analytics and tightened as the pan- A colleague has already with suppliers to keep costs
no coordination. operations. demic sweeps through the tested positive for CO- down. But those groups
"It's pretty much every state "The coronavirus is spread- world, shuttering potential VID-19, she said. Her own haven't been able to fill or-
for itself," said Virginia's sec- ing at an unbelievable rate backup factories from one test was lost so she's being ders.
retary of finance, Aubrey so you can only expect country to the next. Many retested. But she continues Soumi Saha, director of ad-
Layne, who is deeply in- the demand for personal manufacturers have been to work treating patients vocacy at Premier, which
volved with his state's effort protective equipment and ordered to shut down or even though she has minor purchases equipment for
to buy medical supplies. other medical supplies to limit production throughout symptoms. roughly 4,000 hospitals, said
Masks that were priced at follow the same trajectory, Southeast Asia and Latin Doctors and nurses work- 56% of hospitals didn't re-
$2.50 a week ago are now which is scary given that America, including in India ing in hospitals have also ceive their orders for N95
being quoted as high as there is already a massive and Mexico. In Malaysia, told AP about shortages of masks in February. She said
$9, he said, and suppliers shortage of such items at where 75 percent of the saline flushes to clean intra- traditional wholesale mar-
make clear that there are hospitals," said Wowak. world's medical gloves are venous catheters, dispos- kets are depleted and hos-
"plenty of people out here" Doctors and nurses in hot made, AP found factories able CaviWipe towelettes pitals are turning to the gray
looking to buy, even at the spots like New York and were shut down and only to clean hospital surfaces, market, rife with scams and
high prices. New Orleans are caring allowed to reopen with half defibrillator electrodes to counterfeit products. In a
"There is a lot of opportun- for feverish, wheezing CO- staff, who are now locked shock hearts back into 72-hour period last week,
ism going on," Layne said. VID-19 patients without in hostels at their workplac- beating and oxygen con- Premier fielded more than
Even if someone took some adequate masks, gloves or es. centrators, which help re- 130 requests from hospitals
of this money and built the gowns. Shipments of medical spiratory patients breathe. to evaluate unregulated
equipment to make masks, Can the $100 billion carved gloves are down 23% so far For most people, the new suppliers, none of which
gowns and gloves, it would out for hospitals in the stim- this month compared with coronavirus causes mild or were legitimate, Saha said.
not solve the problem be- ulus package solve that? 2019, and medical gown moderate symptoms, such "The short-term solutions are
cause none of the materi- "It is not about throwing imports are down 64% for as fever and cough that patchwork. We need to
als are made in the United money at this problem," the same period, accord- clear up in two to three start implementing longer
States. That includes latex said Lisa Ellram, a professor ing to trade data compiled weeks. For some, especially term solutions now or I don't
and rubber, largely from of supply chain manage- by Panjiva and ImportGe- older adults and people know how much longer the
Southeast Asia, as well as ment at Miami University of nius, services that track im- with existing health prob- Band Aid can hold on," she
textiles used in surgical Ohio. ports and exports. lems, it can cause more se- said.
gowns that can repel fluids Just like consumers who No medical-grade N95 vere illness, including pneu- The new nonprofit Project
but are easily disposable. today wander past empty masks, made almost entire- monia, and death. N95, launched by tech
"The suppliers that provide shelves in the toilet paper ly in China, have arrived at Six weeks ago, the Center entrepreneurs, former gov-
the raw materials needed aisle, state governments U.S. ports so far this month. for Global Development ernment officials and sup-
to make such items have and hospitals are finding An Oregon Nurses Associa- warned that the U.S. should ply chain experts, is one
to increase their capac- their suppliers' warehouses tion member who spoke get ready to rapidly scale- of many new impromptu
ity in order to deliver more are bare. on condition of anonym- up medical supply manu- clearinghouses for medical
materials to manufactur- The AP reported last week ity out of concern for her facturing. Minnesota's 3M equipment trying to solve
ers, which could take time that imports of critical medi- job said she's allowed one Co. was already ramping the crisis.q