In India, making healthcare delivery inclusive means ensuring that people have access to care and information that can help save lives. But in a country like India, where there are remote villages where there is a lack of physicians, that is not always easy. In 2015, India accounted for 15% of the global maternal deaths, and the country continues to have a high maternal mortality rate. Only 58.6% of the mothers in India had a checkup in their first trimester of pregnancy. One of the reasons was the scarcity of qualified physicians in remote villages. 

With the rapid development of computers, internet, advanced statistics, ML, and neural networks technology, and the increase in handheld and wearable networked devices such as smartphones and watches, AI technology is bringing revolutionary changes in healthcare. Medical AI technology will play a massive role in electronic health records (EHR), diagnosis, treatment protocol, development, patient monitoring and care, personalized medicine, robotic surgery, and health system management.  

The problem with the developing country is that there are several rural villages, and there are limitations regarding affordability and access to services in AI. So, the real question should be how we can overcome these barriers and ensure efficient healthcare systems for the rural areas of the developing countries. Mentioned following are some of the challenges faced in rural areas in the full-fledged use of AI: 

• Financial Issues: Backward economic situations in developing countries are always a problem.  
• Infrastructure Issues: Unavailability of electricity and/or the internet, transportation, and harsh natural environment are some of the physical factors. 
• Technical Issues: The frontline rural clinic probably has a nurse with minimal training and a paramedic or technician with a 10th or 12th-grade education in developing countries. 
• Training and professional issues: To use medical AI devices effectively, professional training is needed. The need for technical training was more significant in older health workers with low computer literacy. 

Role of AI in rural healthcare 

Many rural areas of developing countries have few trained physicians, and many patients need to be treated by nurses or paramedical health workers. Computer-assisted medical technology was an early term used to refer to medical AI technology. It was in 1998, a computer-assisted diagnostic system, the Early Detection and Prevention System, was developed in India for rural clinics without a physician. The design provided guidance and support to nurses and paramedical personnel. A study found that patient responses were positive as they believed the computer system was more accurate and had more in-depth interaction with them than health personnel they had met. Additionally, the village health nurses were interested in using the system in their practice. Thus, medical AI technology can not only improve doctors and the efficiency and quality of healthcare services, but it can train nurses and paramedical health workers and compensate for the deficiency in the number of doctors. Mentioned following are some of the areas in which medical AI can aid in the rural areas: 

• AI in clinical decisions 
• AI in EHRs 
• AI in diagnosis 
• Personalized medicine 
• Healthcare system management 
• Medical robots 

A vision of AI for rural healthcare 

Developing countries have Gross National Income per capita per year not exceeding $11,905. Rural areas are areas where the population density does not exceed 150 people per square km. In developing countries, rural residents' life expectancies and health status are generally worse than those of urban residents. Poverty is one of the most significant social determinants. Limited access to qualified healthcare is one of the primary reasons for poor health. International Labour Organization suggests that the governments should build universal health coverage and provide equitable, adequate access for rural populations with the guiding principles of availability, affordability, and financial protection to address the inquiries about health services. A medical AI system should be set up exclusively for rural healthcare. The system should include a basic level front line medical AI system which would be used at the primary level of healthcare settings such as villages or personal clinics; regional medical AI support center at the second level could be set up in county hospitals and in-state or provincial hospitals; national medical AI development center at the third level will coordinate the development, promotion and update of medical AI systems nationwide, and foster international corporation. 

Source:

Liebert pub