[Edaily Reporter An Chi-yeong ] In pediatric medical settings, situations are arising where surgeries for children must be postponed or alternative treatments chosen because medical devices and treatment materials that fit the children’s bodies cannot be obtained. Pediatric medical devices require a variety of specifications based on growth stages and body weight, but many companies are reluctant to produce or import them due to low demand. Critics point out that supply disruptions are recurring, compounded by the low prices of treatment materials.

Kwak Jae-geon, Secretary-General of the Congenital Heart Surgery Research Society (Professor of Pediatric Thoracic Surgery at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital), revealed the reality of unstable supply of medical devices and surgical supplies needed for pediatric surgery at the Korean Association of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgeons’ 2026 Symposium held at Seoul National University College of Medicine on the 21st.

Unlike adult surgical supplies, pediatric surgical supplies must come in a variety of sizes and specifications to account for a child patient’s age, weight, and growth potential. Even for products used in the same surgical procedure, the required specifications differ for newborns, infants, and adolescents. However, because the volume of use per specification is low, it is difficult for companies to produce these products separately or import and sell them from overseas.

Price is also an issue. According to Executive Director Kwak, pediatric products have low demand and high production and import costs, while the prices of medical supplies approved in Korea are low, making it difficult to achieve profitability in some cases. Consequently, companies often abandon production or importation, leading to supply disruptions.

In fact, pediatric cardiac surgery departments are experiencing repeated disruptions in the supply of cannulas of various sizes used in heart surgery. Cannulas are thin tubes used to connect blood to a heart-lung machine or to administer drugs that temporarily stop the heart. In particular, there are supply concerns for products of various sizes—including cannulas used for newborns and infants—that are required based on a child’s weight.

There are also cases where medical devices designed to accommodate a child’s growth are at risk of supply disruption. A prime example is the “Interlocking Telescopic Rod (ITR),” used in pediatric orthopedics. This device consists of a metal rod inserted into the bone that lengthens as the child grows; it is used to treat recurrent fractures and bone deformities in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition in which bones are prone to breaking. In South Korea, a product developed by researchers at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital is currently in use; however, due to the small number of patients and the product’s low price, it is at risk of being discontinued. If production ceases, there will be virtually no alternative other than importing products from overseas.

Similar supply shortages are emerging in pediatric plastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology, pediatric otolaryngology, and pediatric urology. There have been a series of cases where the range of products available for pediatric care—such as tissue expanders, silicone slings, Fresnel prisms, artificial vertebrae, and infant ureteral catheters and stents—has been reduced, or where their import or production has been halted.

Executive Director Kwak analyzed that these issues follow a common pattern: “low demand → reluctance to produce or import and low prices for medical supplies → supply disruption → resorting to alternative surgical methods → increased burden on pediatric patients, their guardians, and medical staff.” He explained that this is not merely a temporary shortage of individual products but a structural problem affecting essential pediatric healthcare as a whole.

The medical community argues that government intervention is necessary, as it is difficult to resolve the problem by leaving it solely to market forces. Proposals include establishing a separate fee schedule for medical devices and treatment materials specifically designed for children, as well as having the government stockpile items with low demand but high necessity or provide incentives to suppliers.

Executive Director Kwak emphasized, “There is a need to establish a separate fee schedule for medical devices and treatment materials designed specifically for children,” adding, “For low-demand items, the government should consider a system to stabilize supply and establish a nationwide joint response system that goes beyond individual hospitals or medical societies.”