Experience and hopes for telehealth in Tokelau

The two key factors affecting healthcare in Tokelau are its small population and its great isolation. Both of these make telehealth a critical issue for the development of health services and it is hard to see how the services can develop to a modern standard without a larger component of telemedicine. The Tokelau islands consist of three roughly equal atolls usually served by 1-2 doctors who deal with all aspects of medical care. There is a small hospital on each atoll and each is staffed by a Nurse manager, two staff nurses and some nurse aides. There is a need for a communication facility for the nurse on the atoll(s) without a doctor to consult with a doctor about medical cases; doctors to consult each other; and for doctors to consult outside specialists about the management of cases. Distance education for health care staff is another perceived need. The current communications systems are still basic and although there is a PeaceSat terminal on each atoll it has largely failed to provide the above communication needs and most is still done by the costly telephone system. Recently ITC has been made a priority for the health department.