Chips shortage to hit supply life-saving medical devices

After automobiles, the semiconductor chip shortage is now going to impact critical life saving devices and the medtech industry, The Times of India reported on Friday. The disruption in supply of chips globally has led to an increase in prices of certain devices, with some facing depletion of stocks across the country. This is now threatening the availability of hundreds of chip-powered critical care and ICU devices which includes ventilators, defibrillators, imaging machines, glucose, ECG, blood pressure monitors and implantable pacemakers.

Lead time increased by 4 to 8 weeks

According to medtech players, the impact on stocks could get worse and the overall prices are expected to increase by up to 20%, by the end of the year. The lead time in chip manufacturing has already increased from 4 to 8 weeks to 30 to 40 weeks and may even touch 100 weeks in certain components. This has caused disruption in the delivery schedules of manufacturers, leading to massive delays, said BPL Medical Technologies.

It said that they are able to manage the demand and hold the prices of devices. But with the growing uncertainty, an acute shortage may hit when the existing stocks of microprocessors chips gets depleted.

For instance, devices like patient monitors, defibrillators and ECGs that use touch screens have run out of stock in the market. The chips are sourced from domestic vendors who import these China, Japan, Taiwan and the US.

Skanray technologies said that the industry has sensitised the government several times about the need to build semiconductor fabrication plants in India to become self sufficient in electronics and medtech.