Exploring Security and Privacy Implications of IoT Devices in Zambia’s Healthcare System
Abstract
The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in Zambia’s healthcare system presents transformative opportunities for improving patient care, operational efficiency, and data management. However, the rapid adoption of IoT also introduces significant security and privacy risks, including vulnerabilities in device authentication, data breaches, and regulatory compliance challenges. This study systematically reviews existing literature on IoT security and privacy in healthcare, with a particular focus on Zambia’s digital health landscape. It identifies key threats, including weak encryption mechanisms, unauthorized data access, and insufficient regulatory enforcement. The study further highlights best practices and emerging technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) that can enhance IoT security. By examining Zambia’s current regulatory framework in comparison to international standards, the study provides practical recommendations for strengthening cybersecurity policies, improving digital literacy, and fostering collaboration between stakeholders. Addressing these challenges is crucial for ensuring the secure and sustainable implementation of IoT in Zambia’s healthcare system.
Downloads
References
Aboubakar, M. (2022). A review of IoT network management: Current status and perspectives. Volume 34, Issue No. 7.
Bazanye, K. P. (2022). Factors influencing user adherence towards privacy standards in the usage of Internet of Things devices in South Africa.
Beniwall, B. (2022). A systematic literature review on IoT gateways. Journal of King Saud University - Computer and Information Sciences, 30(10).
F. Hu, D. Xie, & S. Shen. (2013). On the application of the Internet of Things in the field of medical and healthcare. In 2013 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC). IEEE.
Halubanza, B. (2024). A framework for an early warning system for the management of the spread of locust invasion based on artificial intelligence technologies [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Zambia].
Javaid, M., Haleem, A., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2023). Towards insighting cybersecurity for healthcare domains: A comprehensive review of recent practices and trends. Cyber Security and Applications, 1, 100016.
Joshua, E. S. N., Bhattacharyya, D., & Rao, N. T. (2022). Managing information security risk and Internet of Things (IoT) impact on challenges of medicinal problems with complex settings: A complete systematic approach. In Multi-chaos, fractal and multi-fractional artificial intelligence of different complex systems (pp. 291–310). Academic Press.
Karuranathne, S. (2021). Security and privacy in IoT smart healthcare. IEEE Access, 25(4).
Kelly, J. T. (2020). The Internet of Things: Impact and implications for health care delivery. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(11).
Ketu, S., & Mishra, P. K. (2021). Internet of Healthcare Things: A contemporary survey. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 192, 103179.
Korte, A. (2021). Internet of Things (IoT) technology research in business and management literature. Technology in Society, 16(6).
Magyar, G. (2017, November). Blockchain: Solving the privacy and research availability tradeoff for EHR data: A new disruptive technology in health data management. In 2017 IEEE 30th Neumann Colloquium (NC) (pp. 000135–000140). IEEE.
Mamdouh, M., Awad, A. I., Hamed, H. F. A., & Khalaf, A. A. M. (2020). Outlook on security and privacy in IoHT: Key challenges and future vision. In Joint European-US Workshop on Applications of Invariance in Computer Vision (pp. 721–730). Springer.
Mphande, T. (2020). A secure patient monitoring and tracking system using RFID and Internet of Things for the University Teaching Hospital [Doctoral dissertation, University of Zambia].
Musonda, I., Onososen, A., & Moyo, T. (2025). Digital transitioning in the built environment of developing countries. Taylor & Francis.
Muyunda, L., & Mpundu, M. (2023). Mapping the regulatory framework for telemedicine in Zambia: A content analysis. International Journal of Membrane Science and Technology, 10, 3445–3461.
Nifakos, S., Chandramouli, K., Nikolaou, C. K., Papachristou, P., Koch, S., Panaousis, E., & Bonacina, S. (2021). Influence of human factors on cyber security within healthcare organisations: A systematic review. Sensors, 21(15), 5119.
Nzazi, E. (2025). Unraveling the urban landscape: Assessing the influence of informal settlements on spatial planning in Lusaka, Zambia. Open Access Library Journal, 12(2), 1–20.
Obaid, O. I., & Salman, S. A. B. (2022). Security and privacy in IoT-based healthcare systems: A review. Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science, 2022, 29–39.
Olutimehin, A. T., Ajayi, A. J., Metibemu, O. C., Balogun, A. Y., Oladoyinbo, T. O., & Olaniyi, O. O. (2025). Adversarial threats to AI-driven systems: Exploring the attack surface of machine learning models and countermeasures. SSRN. https://ssrn.com/abstract=5137026
Owen, A., & Kellr, S. (2025). Transforming telemedicine: Leveraging cloud-enabled IoT devices for enhanced patient engagement.
Sadek, I. (2022). Security and privacy in the Internet of Things healthcare systems: Toward a robust solution in real-life deployment.
Schmidt, A. (2020). Regulatory challenges in healthcare IT: Ensuring compliance with HIPAA and GDPR. Academic Journal of Science and Technology, 3(1), 1–7.
Shahid, J. (2022). Data protection and privacy of the Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHTs). National University of Sciences and Technology.
Sharma, S., & Verma, V. K. (2022). An integrated exploration on Internet of Things and wireless sensor networks. Wireless Personal Communications, 124(3), 2735–2770.
Sicari, S., Rizzardi, A., Grieco, L. A., Piro, G., & Coen-Porisini, A. (2017). A policy enforcement framework for Internet of Things applications in the smart health. Smart Health, 3, 39–74.
Sivan, R. (2021). Security and privacy in cloud-based e-health system [Doctoral dissertation, University of Putra Malaysia].
Sobb, T., Turnbull, B., & Moustafa, N. (2020). Supply chain 4.0: A survey of cyber security challenges, solutions and future directions. Electronics, 9(11), 1864.
Somasundaram, R., & Thirugnanam, M. (2021). Review of security challenges in healthcare Internet of Things. Wireless Networks, 27(8), 5503–5509.
Teh, D., & Rana, T. (2023). The use of Internet of Things, Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence for attaining UN's SDGs. In Handbook of big data and analytics in accounting and auditing (pp. 235–253). Springer Nature Singapore.
Van Hoang, T. (2024). Impact of integrated artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies on smart city transformation. Journal of Technical Education Science, 19(Special Issue 01), 64–73.
Vujovic, V. (2015). A connection between Internet of Things and Resource-Oriented Architecture. In 2015 European Conference on Smart Objects, Systems and Technologies (Smart SysTech). IEEE.
Wu, W., Yang, P., Zhang, W., Zhou, C., & Shen, X. (2020). Accuracy-guaranteed collaborative DNN inference in industrial IoT via deep reinforcement learning. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 17(7), 4988–4998.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sylvester Mugala, Kasongo Alfred, Linda Sibanda, Chisha Mulenga, Mulako Hachamba, Henitha Mwiinga
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
