Jan 07, Kathmandu- The Health AI for All Conference (HAICon) 2025 was held in Kathmandu today. The conference is organized by the Health AI for All Network (HiNet), which was established to generate, exchange and collaborate on knowledge in the field of Health AI in developing countries like Nepal and India.

The HiNet Network has a board of directors with three-quarters of its members being from developing and emerging countries. The conference will discuss identifying healthcare problems and solving them through Health AI among representatives from developing countries.

HiNet was launched towards the end of 2024 with the intention of ensuring that the benefits of AI technology development in the health sector, led by Nepal, reach people living in countries with limited resources and means, said Dr. Kiranraj Pandey, a founding member of the network.

According to him, the conference will discuss how Health AI can play a role in bringing about significant changes in healthcare delivery, improving human health, and providing access to health for all. Developing countries like Nepal will collaborate to identify their health problems and exchange views on collaborating in the development of Health AI, according to Dr. Pandey.

Binod Bhattarai, a member of the network and associate professor at the University of Averden, said that the use of AI in the health sector has been widespread in developed countries in recent times. However, he said that patients in countries with limited healthcare resources like Nepal are also at risk of not receiving the benefits of AI technology.

Bhattarai said that the conference will be important for developing countries like Nepal to prioritize their health problems and take ownership in developing Health AI to solve them.