Overview
- Reports cite shutdowns at Qatar’s Ras Laffan helium plants with force majeure declarations, curbing exports through the Strait of Hormuz and straining global supply for MRI services.
- In India, hospitals and diagnostic labs are deferring non‑essential refills and pushing back some new MRI installations as costs rise, with one expert saying prices have nearly doubled.
- Because liquid helium cools MRI magnets to about minus 269°C, older non‑zero boil‑off scanners that can use hundreds of litres a year face the most risk, while roughly 3,500 zero boil‑off units need small top‑ups and only 100–150 are fully helium‑free.
- Mumbai providers say services remain stable as many modern scanners need refills only every three to five years, though installations and some repairs are difficult because magnets must be filled before restart.
- Experts warn that a prolonged squeeze could lift scan charges, idle machines that miss refuelling, and quicken a shift to helium‑free designs such as Siemens systems using drycool technology.