Introducing L2M3, A Multilingual Medical Large Language Model to Advance Health Equity in Low-Resource Regions (2404.08705v1)

Abstract: Addressing the imminent shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030, predominantly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), this paper introduces an innovative approach that harnesses the power of LLMs integrated with machine translation models. This solution is engineered to meet the unique needs of Community Health Workers (CHWs), overcoming language barriers, cultural sensitivities, and the limited availability of medical dialog datasets. I have crafted a model that not only boasts superior translation capabilities but also undergoes rigorous fine-tuning on open-source datasets to ensure medical accuracy and is equipped with comprehensive safety features to counteract the risks of misinformation. Featuring a modular design, this approach is specifically structured for swift adaptation across various linguistic and cultural contexts, utilizing open-source components to significantly reduce healthcare operational costs. This strategic innovation markedly improves the accessibility and quality of healthcare services by providing CHWs with contextually appropriate medical knowledge and diagnostic tools. This paper highlights the transformative impact of this context-aware LLM, underscoring its crucial role in addressing the global healthcare workforce deficit and propelling forward healthcare outcomes in LMICs.