It is in this spirit that I introduce my own place in the world and discuss a health-service problem that we are currently managing with the use of technology in the form of a telemedicine booth - a site, virtual or actual, where a variety of technologies are brought together for the benefit of the rural patient. The problems that we deal with in national contexts are likely to be global problems. This is merely a metaphor for the concept that while we come from different places we all share similar difficulties.
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In the movie 'Braveheart', the Scottish national hero William Wallace is played by an Australian who was born in America. Key words: technology, telemedicine, Scotland. This idea, that addresses the needs of remote populations and their health workers the world over, was presented to the 5th WONCA World Conference on Rural Health in Melbourne, Australia in 2001 by the author, a medical practitioner and health administrator from Grampian, Scotland. Not only will the technology enable patient consultation with a distant physician, if it is developed in partnership with a commercial firm, it also offers the possibility of an 'electronic community' where medical care and other social or commercial services may be delivered in tandem, at a distance. In response to the steady reduction in medical services to remote areas, a telemedicine booth (a site where a variety of technologies can be brought together) has been proposed to support generic health workers provide acceptable and effective care to isolated patients. This personal view of change, and the impact of technology on change, comes from the Grampian area of Scotland, where the traditional remote community of villagers, school, doctor, bank and church is in rapid decline. For the rural and remote population the world over, changes to society's view of doctors, and to doctors' view of their role and place in society have lead to a decline in the number of rural practitioners.
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