A lesser-known, yet highly critical fallout of the ongoing Iran-Israel war is now threatening to disrupt a major part of India’s healthcare sector – the MRI services, cancer detection, and neurological diagnosis. According to news reports, a global helium shortage, linked to disruptions in the Middle East, could potentially strain MRI supply chains, spiking costlier scans and delays in diagnostics. Even though there is no immediate cause for panic, experts warn that if the conflict continues, the impact on medical diagnostics could soon become significant.
Qatar accounts for almost one-third of global helium output, making any disruption there significant for MRI services across the world. News reports say Qatar shut off liquified helium plants in the Laffan facility after recent Iranian strikes against the region’s energy-producing infrastructure and later declared force majeure, which means it is not able to supply contracted customers due to circumstances beyond its control.
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Helium plays an extremely important role in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While it is used to cool the superconducting magnets inside MRI machines to extremely low temperatures, allowing them to function properly, without the gas, MRI scanners simply cannot operate.
Most MRI machines require large quantities of liquid helium - often more than 1,500 litres - to maintain these ultra-cold conditions. This makes the healthcare sector heavily dependent on a stable global helium supply.
To understand how the risk is playing, it is best to break down how helium works inside an MRI:
MRI machines completely rely on powerful magnets made of superconducting materials. These only work when cooled to about -269°C, near absolute zero. Liquid helium is the only substance capable of maintaining such low temperatures efficiently.
The ultra-cold environment allows the magnets to carry electric current without resistance, creating a stable and strong magnetic field essential for high-quality imaging.
If helium levels drop, the magnet warms up - a process known as “quench”, which can shut down the MRI machine and require expensive repairs.
Apart from the MRI machines, helium is also essential for manufacturing semiconductors, including the cutting-edge chips used for artificial intelligence models produced in Asian fabrication plants.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
