Protective glove imports to Poland from Malaysia and China are becoming more expensive and harder to obtain, impacting medical facilities and businesses.
Price Increases and Wholesale Shortages
Imported protective gloves are becoming more expensive and increasingly difficult to access in Poland. The Organization of Medical Industry Employers Technomed informed PAP that raw material prices jumped 25% in March and continue to rise, due to a crisis in petrochemicals and maritime transport.
Online stores are offering a pack of 100 disposable nitrile gloves for around 20 PLN, but popular sizes (M, L) and colors are often unavailable, with delivery waits of several weeks. Faster delivery requires paying a premium.
Supply Deficit Reported by Distributors
“This is a deficit item. We haven’t had disposable gloves for a month. We sourced 70 packages for a regular client through special channels, paying almost 40 PLN per pack,” reported a representative of a large BHP wholesale company in Szczecin.
Clinics Confirm Price Surge
A private clinic owner in Szczecin confirmed the price increases, presenting an invoice for a pack of 100 blue, powder-free nitrile gloves priced at 37.96 PLN. The price of a pack has increased by approximately 7 PLN over the last three to four weeks, and smaller sizes (S, M) are unavailable.
Potential Link to Ormuz Strait Closure
Wholesalers in Wrocław, Warsaw, and the Tricity area have observed disruptions in supplies and rising prices of disposable gloves (surgical latex gloves costing up to 100 PLN for 100 pieces) for several months. They attribute this to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Israel-Iran war, and the resulting blockade of the Strait of Ormuz, leading to increased oil prices and difficulties in maritime transport.
Supply Chain Disruptions from Asia
“We are observing significant disruptions in the supply of disposable protective gloves and substantial price increases. Shipments from Asia, particularly Malaysia, were halted for over six weeks, including previously contracted and prepaid deliveries,” explained Wioletta Suska of the Organization of Medical Industry Employers in Warsaw. She cited concerns from manufacturers regarding the availability and price of oil, a key component in the production of materials like nitrile (NBR), polypropylene, and polyethylene.
Deliveries are gradually resuming, but in limited quantities and at significantly higher prices. Manufacturers report a minimum 25% increase in raw material costs in March, with the upward trend continuing. The first shipments are expected to reach the Polish market in 6-8 weeks, creating a clear supply gap and driving up prices.
Reliance on Asian Imports
Nitrile and latex gloves are imported to Poland and Europe from Southeast Asian countries, primarily Malaysia, with China as the second-largest producer. According to OPPM Technomed, Poland does not produce them on an industrial scale. Attempts to launch production in the EU in recent years have proven “economically difficult to sustain” due to high energy, labor, and technological infrastructure costs.
The Polish market requires approximately 7-10 million cartons annually, each containing 10 packs of 100 gloves, translating to an average import of around 200 containers per month. Large facilities purchase between 1 million and 20 million gloves per year, depending on their size and profile.
Hospitals Report Stable Supplies
The University Clinical Hospital No. 1 PUM in Szczecin orders over 5 million nitrile and 3.7 million latex gloves annually. The Self-Governing Provincial Specialist Hospital purchases approximately 8 million gloves of various types. Hospital spokespersons assured PAP that deliveries are being carried out as planned.
The University Children’s Hospital in Krakow also reported no disruptions in supplies, stating that purchases are made under binding contracts with fixed prices, with an annual order of approximately 6.5 million pairs of gloves. Suppliers have not yet signaled or requested price increases.
Government Monitoring Situation
The Ministry of Health and the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products informed PAP that state institutions have not received reports from medical facilities or voivodes regarding difficulties in purchasing disposable gloves.
