High-field MRI scanners and radiotherapy machines
Medical devices · we cannot produce here
India manufactures a growing range of medical devices and assembles some imaging systems domestically. The high-value core — superconducting magnets for high-field MRI, and the linear accelerators used in cancer radiotherapy — is largely imported, which is a direct driver of what a scan or a course of treatment costs a patient.
Why it matters
This is the entry on the list where the gap has a body count. Radiotherapy capacity in India is far below what the cancer burden requires, and machine cost is one of the reasons. Imaging costs follow the same logic: an imported scanner sets the floor under the price of every scan it takes.
Where we actually are
Domestic manufacturing of X-ray systems, ultrasound, monitors and consumables is real and growing under production-linked incentives. Indigenous radiotherapy machines have been developed by public-sector bodies and deployed. High-field superconducting magnets remain an import.
What it would take
Superconducting wire, cryogenics and magnet winding for the MRI side; medical-grade electron accelerators and treatment planning software for the radiotherapy side. Plus a regulatory pathway that lets a domestic machine build a clinical track record.