Communications in health in the Western Pacific: a case study

This paper describes the use of medical technology and telemedicine to provide healthcare to a population of over 400,000 Micronesian and American Samoan who live on islands scattered over the Pacific Ocean, in an area equal to that of the USA. Low cost communication technologies were used to provide this population with medical consulting and distance medical learning. The paper describes a case of such usage, and lists the initial steps taken to institute a continuing program of telemedicine in Micronesia and the Pacific Islands.