The possible shortage of gasoline, diesel and kerosene announced by Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche from the end of April or beginning of May 2026 – caused by the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the context of the Iran war – poses challenges not only for private transport and industry. Laboratory medicine , as a highly logistics-dependent sector, is particularly vulnerable. A fuel shortage would interrupt the time-critical chain of sample collection, transport, analysis and transmission of findings, thus jeopardizing patient care in diagnostics, therapy control and emergency medicine.

The central role of road transport in laboratory medicine

In Germany, hundreds of thousands of patient samples – mainly blood, urine, tissue, swabs and other biological materials – are transported every day from doctors’ practices, clinics and care facilities to central or specialised laboratories. It is estimated that around 250,000 such transports are carried out per day, most of which are carried out by road via specialised courier services. These transports are subject to strict requirements of the Dangerous Goods Act (ADR/GGVSEB), as many samples are classified as biological substances of category B (UN 3373). Logistics is highly dependent on diesel trucks, vans and sometimes car couriers who make tours early in the morning or several times a day.

A fuel shortage would hit this chain in several places:

1. Delayed or failing sample transport
   Many laboratories, especially large central laboratories or reference centers, rely on regional and national pick-up services. In the event of a shortage of diesel stocks, courier companies would have to reduce, merge or prioritise routes. Time-critical samples – such as blood cultures for sepsis diagnosis, troponin levels in the case of suspected heart attacks, coagulation parameters or oncological markers – lose their informative value with delays of several hours. Pre-analytical errors are increasing: hemolysis, temperature fluctuations or delayed centrifugation make samples unusable. In emergency and intensive care medicine, this can have life-threatening consequences.
   
2. Impacting the reagents and consumables supply chain
   Laboratories require daily or weekly replenishment of reagents, test kits, pipette tips, tubes and cuvettes. Many of these materials are delivered by truck from Germany or abroad. A fuel shortage would reduce the frequency of deliveries and lead to local bottlenecks. Some laboratories are already prepared for “just-in-time” deliveries in order to minimize storage costs. In the event of shortages, prioritization would have to be made – with the risk that routine examinations (e.g. blood counts, liver values) would be postponed while emergency analyses would be prioritized.
   
3. Staff mobility and shift work
   Many laboratory specialists commute by car or use company vehicles. In rural regions or at large laboratory locations outside conurbations, private transport is crucial. A shortage of fuel could lead to staff shortages, which further exacerbates the already tense staffing situation in laboratory medicine. Shift work in 24/7 laboratories (e.g. for emergency analysis) would be at risk.
   
4. Indirect effects due to rising costs and rationing
   Even in the event of a pure price crisis (without a complete shortage), higher diesel prices would drive up costs for couriers and logistics service providers. These costs would be passed on to laboratories and ultimately to the health system. In a system already under pressure, smaller labs or practices with tight margins could be forced to limit analysis or outsource it to larger centers – with longer transport routes and longer waiting times.

Special risks for critical areas

• Emergency and acute diagnostics: Sepsis, acute coronary syndrome, stroke – every hour counts here. Delayed laboratory diagnostics prolong the “door-to-needle” time and worsen prognosis.
• Oncology and chronic patient care: Regular tumor marker or therapy checks could be delayed, hindering the timely adjustment of chemotherapies or immunotherapies.
• Infectiology: Rapid tests and cultures of multidrug-resistant pathogens or pandemic threats depend on reliable transport.
• Blood banks and transfusion medicine: The transport of blood products and the logistics of donations could be affected.

Threat Assessment

The impending fuel shortage does not represent an abstract, but a concrete and immediate threat to the functioning of laboratory medicine. The dependence on road freight transport is structural: unlike in inpatient hospital care, where emergency power generators and supplies are available, there are no comparable buffers in decentralised laboratory diagnostics. A bottleneck from the end of April would be felt within a few days, as many laboratories have limited storage capacities for samples and material.

Mitigating factors exist: Some large laboratories have their own fleets or long-term contracts with logistics companies that could enable prioritized deliveries. In addition, temporary measures such as rationing for “systemically relevant” transports could take effect. Nevertheless, a nationwide impairment would be likely, especially in regions with weak infrastructure or high dependence on external laboratories.

Conclusion and need for action

The announced fuel shortage as a result of the Iran war would hit laboratory medicine at its logistical Achilles’ heel. An interruption in the sample transport and supply chain not only jeopardizes the quality and speed of diagnostics, but potentially also patient safety and treatment success. Laboratory medicine is an invisible but indispensable pillar of the healthcare system – its disruption quickly affects clinics, practices and the entire care system.

Preparations are now necessary to minimise the risks: prioritisation systems for transports, replenishment of critical stocks, coordination between the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, the German Hospital Association and logistics associations, as well as close coordination with the Federal Ministry of Economics. In the long term, the crisis underlines the need to strengthen the resilience of laboratory diagnostics – through diversification of supply chains and stronger regional structures.

Minister Reiche’s current warning should be understood as a wake-up call: laboratory medicine must not become the collateral damage of a distant conflict. Rapid political action to de-escalate the war and concrete emergency plans for health logistics are equally required.

Vlad Georgescu analysed

Read Also:

ASKED: Iran war. Quo Vadis laboratory medicine? – MedLabPortal

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.