What is the name of your organization?
Legacies of War
What is the name of your solution?
Teleconsult in Conflict Zones
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Enhancing surgical care in conflict zones through secure, low-bandwidth teleconsultation networks
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
New York, NY, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Laos remains the most heavily bombed country per capita, with 80 million unexploded bombs (UXO) contaminating all 17 provinces. In 2024, nearly 70 UXO casualties were reported—60% were children. As of early 2025, 10 new casualties including four deaths, exacerbated by a U.S. funding freeze halting 80% of demining and victim assistance. UXO survivors need ongoing care, but Laos’ healthcare system lacks the capacity, often forcing patients to seek treatment abroad when financially possible. Humanitarian deminers, often first responders to UXO accidents, also lack access to advanced medical support.
Within high-resource military trauma systems, teleconsultation supports deployed providers when cases fall outside their expertise. However, in low-resource conflict settings (LRCS), no global networks exist for surgical teleconsultation, despite the urgent need for specialized expertise in treating casualties with explosive injuries. In past conflicts (e.g., Lebanon), ad hoc networks of surgical consultants have emerged using platforms like WhatsApp, which pose security risks. Critical gaps include:
-standardized consult protocols
-vetting processes for consultants
-data collection to improve casualty care evidence.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a secure Surgical Teleconsultation Network (SCN) designed to provide real-time, specialized surgical guidance to providers in low-resource conflict settings (LRCS). By leveraging secure, low-bandwidth platforms, the SCN will connect frontline healthcare workers with vetted international surgical consultants, ensuring timely expertise for treating explosive injuries.
Pilot Phase (1 year):
Identify 1-2 pilot sites in Laos through collaboration with local healthcare personnel and LRCS experts.
Synthesize best practices from existing teleconsultation models.
Develop a technical matrix evaluating security vs. bandwidth needs (e.g., image/video transmission, synchronous consultation).
Vet and train consultants and establish regional hubs for long-term local ownership.
Structured Implementation (1-2 years):
Introduce a tiered triage system to prioritize urgent cases (e.g., life-threatening surgery, perioperative care).
Embed a LRCS casualty database within the consultation platform for improved research and quality control.
Scaling & Sustainability (3-5 years):
Expand to more LRCS regions, adapting for multilingual use.
Establish professionalized regional hubs to sustain the platform locally.
Continue data collection to enhance global casualty care protocols.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution directly serves UXO victims, frontline healthcare providers, and humanitarian deminers in Laos, where the deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to claim lives. Over 80 million UXO remain scattered across all 17 provinces, disproportionately affecting the poorest and most rural communities. In 2024, nearly 70 casualties were reported, with 60% being children, who often mistake UXO for toys. Survivors face life-threatening injuries—traumatic amputations, severe burns, and shrapnel wounds—that require specialized surgical care.
However, Laos lacks the medical infrastructure to treat these complex injuries. Most rural hospitals have no trauma surgeons, burn specialists, or reconstructive surgeons. Patients often die before reaching appropriate care or suffer permanent disabilities due to delayed or inadequate treatment. Humanitarian deminers, who face high-risk exposure, also lack access to immediate trauma expertise when accidents occur.
The Surgical Teleconsultation Network (SCN) is a life-saving solution that will connect local doctors and first responders to specialized trauma surgeons in real time—guiding emergency surgeries, stabilizing critical patients, and improving survival rates. By establishing secure telemedicine hubs, we can train local providers, reduce preventable deaths, and create a scalable model for other UXO-affected regions.
