Benefits and Implication in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Adoption in the Health Sector: A Survey of Cultural, Privacy, and Legal Issues in Nepal

As the promise of advancements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness of healthcare sector, through artificial intelligence (AI), gains momentum globally, especially in resource-scarce regions like Nepal, potential challenges surrounding ethical and legal concerns around its implementation remains a primary discussion. This paper explores various socio-cultural, legal and privacy imperatives aligning with such discussions. This paper, along with the statistical evidence following a survey, identifies major concerns as perceived by the possible future general stakeholders of the system and discusses probable steps that can be taken for a smooth adoption of AI in health sector of the country. The paper also discusses various AI based applications and their potential benefits including virtual healthcare, personalized treatment, early diagnosis and administrative assistance. The findings suggest that while AI holds significant promise, concerns like privacy should be addressed while integrating such models, adhering to existing socio-cultural values and existing healthcare infrastructure.