The British health service runs out of blood test tubes-doctors say this could lead to “disaster”

• Supply chain issues meant that blood test tubes could not reach the UK.
• This means that the doctor is only told to perform an emergency blood test.
• A doctor told Insider that this caused “great anxiety” in the medical community.
• For more stories, please visit www.BusinessInsider.co.za.

The blood test tubes in the UK ran out, causing certain departments of the National Health Service (NHS) to come to a standstill.

As a result, non-urgent blood tests had to be suspended, appointments were cancelled, and both patients and doctors were worried.

One of the problems is that NHS test tubes rely on a single supplier, Becton Dickinson (BD).

They have not publicly disclosed the reasons for the supply chain problems. Many people believe that this is related to the border and supply challenges associated with Brexit, which also leads to A series of food shortages in the UK.

According to David Wrigley, the vice chairman of the British Medical Association, the UK not only lacks blood test tubes, but also a flu vaccine. Who spoke to the BBC on this issue.

With Covid-19 still an important part of daily life and winter is approaching, anxiety begins to increase.

As a result, doctors were told that they had to reduce tests by as much as 25%. According to the British Medical Association (BMA).

Dr. Vishal Sharma, Chairman of the BMA Advisory Board, said In the statement“It is shocking that this situation is allowed to develop-especially the apparent over-reliance on a manufacturer and the sad lack of any form of reserve supply.

“Manufacturers should also explain how they allowed the inventory to be so low that patients will suffer now. If we don’t solve this shortage — and quickly — then we can easily end up in a catastrophic situation. , Especially in hospitals where patients have been seriously injured.”

Dr. Julia Patterson, a running doctor Every doctor, The British doctor’s advocacy organization told Insider: “This is a nightmare. As a clinician, they are one of the essential tools in our diagnostic toolkit. Therefore, in most cases, you cannot perform diagnostic blood tests. It’s difficult and stressful-it puts patients at risk.”

This is a huge anxiety for doctors. You don’t want your patient to become an emergency because you cannot do blood tests. ”

BD has pledged to provide 9 million imported blood tubes to the NHS this week for immediate distribution.

BD said in a statement to Insider that it has also increased its manufacturing capacity by 20%: “Based on the number of pipes we supply to the UK, we expect the situation to stabilize and return to September,” it said.

A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Health and Social Care added: “We have acquired tens of millions of additional blood vessels, including additional supplies imported from the European Union and the United States, which will soon be provided to the NHS and continue to be in stock. Where the emergency test continues.

“Patient safety is always a top priority, and we will continue to work closely with NHS England, decentralized management and the NHS to minimize any impact on patient care.”

As the backbone of many diagnostic studies, the shortage of blood test tubes is also terrible at its best.

But now, according to the NHS, with more than 30,000 new Covid-19 cases and the rising number of Covid-19 deaths in the UK every day, the panic has started to intensify. The introduction of the coming winter and the delay of the flu vaccine-the alarming reality of this crisis has become clearer.