Congress: Legislation Needed To Expedite Critical Medical Supplies During A Crisis

Background

Throughout the pandemic, unprecedented transportation delays severely limited reliable and timely movement of medical products, restricting the supply chain’s ability to support healthcare providers responding to patients with COVID-19. The medical products supply chain relies on predictable transport to communicate product availability to providers, allowing them to deliver appropriate clinical patient care. Delays have negative consequences for patients and public health.

In 2021 and 2022, transportation delays became a healthcare issue. HIDA research estimates that approximately 31,000-46,000 containers of critical medical supplies were delayed an average of 29 days throughout the transportation system. A single shipping container can hold up to 3.5 million pairs of exam gloves, 187,000 surgical gowns, and 360,000 syringes.

The Department of Transportation in its Supply Chain Assessment of the Transportation Industrial Base report recognized the need to “Develop a fast pass system to expedite global transportation of essential medical products.” A permanent process must be established to ensure any future critical cargo can be expedited at U.S. ports and transportation hubs.

Read Full Statement