Halinder Mangat

Hanan Al Kuwari, Ministry of Health of Qatar says: “Choosing to join this #TBICoalition movement was a no brainer. This resolution is definitely needed. There is enough will around the table. We must take this forward.” #TBIResolution #NotifyTBI #ChronicTBI #WHA79

At a #WHA79 side event on traumatic brain injury (TBI), I joined partners and Member States to advance a stronger global response to one of the most overlooked public health challenges of our time. With an estimated 69 million TBIs occurring every year globally, recognizing TBI as a notifiable and chronic condition can help strengthen prevention, surveillance, emergency care, rehabilitation and long-term support, especially in fragile and conflict-affected settings. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the burden is compounded by conflict and displacement, making stronger trauma systems and continuity of care an urgent priority. I thank Pakistan for formally submitting a draft resolution recognizing TBI as a notifiable, chronic and preventable condition, and Indonesia and Türkiye for co-sponsoring this important effort toward stronger global action on TBI. Appreciation also goes to the @TBICoalition, @theG4Alliance, the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change @HarvardPGSSC, and the International Health Systems group at the University of Cambridge @Cambridge_Uni for convening this timely dialogue and advancing momentum toward a WHA resolution that puts patients, dignity and long-term recovery at the centre of global health action.

In Memoriam: Professor M. Gazi Yaşargil (1925-2025) The world of neurosurgery mourns the passing of Professor Mahmut Gazi Yaşargil, who died today at the age of 99, just one month before what would have been his 100th birthday celebration. Born on July 6, 1925, in Turkey, Professor Yaşargil’s journey from a young medical student to becoming “Man of the Century 1950-1999” represents one of medicine’s most remarkable careers. Hailed as the “Neurosurgeon of the Century (1950–2000)” by the journal Neurosurgery in 1999, his innovations revolutionised surgical approaches to conditions that were previously considered inoperable. On behalf of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), we remember Professor M. Gazi Yaşargil not with sadness for what we have lost, but with gratitude for what he gave to the world. We celebrate a life that fundamentally transformed neurosurgery and improved the lives of countless patients worldwide. His vision of precise, anatomically-informed microsurgery established principles that will guide neurosurgeons for generations to come. While his physical presence is no longer with us, his intellectual legacy lives on in every microsurgical procedure performed, every life saved through techniques he pioneered, and every neurosurgeon inspired by his example of excellence. Rest in peace. Read the full obituary here bit.ly/4l0UtGb

Join us May 21 @ #WHA78. Panel on Traumatic Brain Injury as a chronic condition plus info on @WHO Clinical Registry & G4 Alliance @ProjectECHO Community of Practice. Co-hosted with @Cambridge_Uni, @BrainInjuryCan. In-person: g4a-traumaticbraininjury.crd.co Online: tinyurl.com/2t29nbch