Bringing the expertise to the resident: a paediatric surgical tele-mentoring network for health sovereignty in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is training more paediatric surgery residents than ever (Plan 1000 × 5), while senior supervisors remain few and concentrated in Ouagadougou, insecurity limits travel, and training abroad is no longer available. This proposed project presents a locally governed paediatric surgical tele-mentoring network hosted at CHU Pédiatrique Charles de Gaulle (CHUP-CDG), Ouagadougou: Burkinabè senior surgeons guide residents live in the operating theatre using Help Lightning augmented reality on a smartphone (technology grant from Ohana One International Surgical Aid). An initial implementation phase (Sept 2026 – June 2027, ≈12 sessions) will assess feasibility, safety, learning (OSATS) and the mentor–mentee relationship. Targets are prospective; no results are available yet. Policy ask: integrate tele-mentoring into the DES paediatric surgery curriculum in three university hospitals by October 2027. Geneva Health Forum 2026 – Axis 2.1 "New forms of collaboration in global health" – Proposed project – Abstract #362.