An Analysis of Radiotherapy Machine Requirements in India: Impact of the Pandemic and Regional Disparities

This article examines India's present radiotherapy (RT) machine status and requirements, geographical distribution, and infrastructure need in six regional areas, which include 31 member states and union territories (UTs). It also considers the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on India's teletherapy sector.

Data from reliable resources, including Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Global Cancer Observatory, and Directory of Radiotherapy Centres databases, were used to analyze the current status of RT machine (RTM) density, regional disparity, and COVID-19 impact on infrastructure growth-rate.

In India, the number of functioning RTM and facilities are 823 and 554, respectively, with an average of 1.5 RTM per institute, of which 69.4% have only one RTM. Over the past 22 years, there has been a paradigm shift towards medical linear accelerator (linac) installation instead of telecobalt machines. Presently, there is a teletherapy density of 0.6 RTM per million population, and there is a shortfall of 1209 RTMs. There is a considerable regional disparity in the distribution of RTMs, ranging from (0.08 RTM/million-2.94 RTM/million) across different regions. There is a significant demand for RTMs in the Northern region (480) and the state of Uttar Pradesh (279). The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily impacted India's RT growth rate, reducing it from 5% to 1.9% in 2020-2021.

New policies must be established to accelerate the rate of RT installation growth. To better serve local populations and save patient costs, this article proposes that RT facilities be dispersed equitably across states.