BRIDGING THE GAPAND HARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR RURAL HEALTHCARE EQUITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The goal of artificial intelligence (AI) is to replicate human intelligence by fusing computer science with large datasets. AI subsets are being used in practically every area of surgery and medicine. By thoroughly describing the progress made so far, the current laws, the drawbacks in AI applications, the current state of AI integration, enduring difficulties, and creative solutions to overcome them, this review aims to highlight the importance of AI in healthcare settings in developing nations and draw attention to the need for a robust legislation. The doctrinal approach was adopted to discover healthcare inequities in developing countries, medical AI in rural countries healthcare, envisioning AI-driven healthcare in rural developing regions: a transformative framework, AI Governance and Regulatory Considerations in Healthcare, challenges and limitations, and the ways in which these challenges could be overcome with a view to fostering AI adoption in developing country healthcare systems. However, AI's growing role in diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and patient management, as well as hospital management and community healthcare, has improved the efficiency of the healthcare system as a whole, thereby giving room for the urgent need for a robust legislative framework for its governance. This is particularly true in developing nations with high patient loads and resource-constrained areas where patient care is frequently compromised as a result of inadequate provisions of the law to safeguard patients' rights and provide remedies in cases of medical malpractice. The complete use of AI in healthcare is, however, hampered by a number of obstacles, such as low acceptance rates, a lack of standardised norms, expensive equipment installation and maintenance, inefficient transportation, connectivity problems, and a dearth of adequate legislative framework. AI has a bright future in healthcare despite these obstacles. In poor countries, while it is recommended that healthcare practitioners have the necessary skills and knowledge to apply AI technology in healthcare, most importantly is also the need for developing countries to enact laws specifically made for its regulation.