New Report Reveals 53% of Maternal Deaths in Tanzania Occur After Caesarean Section, highlighting the need for safe surgical care for women.

New research from rural Tanzania reveals the stark reality of unmet surgical need. In the absence of accessible hospital care, 95% of fracture patients turn to traditional bonesetters, often out of necessity—not choice. The consequences are profound: lost income, long-term disability, and delayed recovery.

As the global health community prepares for the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in 2025, the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) is curating a comprehensive and up-to-date list of WHA78 side events. 

On 19 May 2025, the Global Surgery Foundation brought global leaders together at the Hôtel InterContinental in Geneva and online for its WHA78 side-event, Accelerating Catalytic Financing in a New Era, where donors announced new commitments to SURGfund. Watch the recording and download the report.

A newly published manuscript explores the potential for collaboration between traditional bonesetters and formal healthcare providers to improve fracture care in Tanzania.

The GSF’s Women’s Health team shared updates from projects aimed at improving access to surgical care for breast cancer patients in Rwanda and Türkiye.

Navigating the Global Surgery Ecosystem, the educational series from the Global Surgery Foundation and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is now available as a free course on SURGhub. Learn at your own pace with recorded sessions and curated readings, and earn a UNITAR Certificate of Completion.

EBRS, UNITAR, CAGS, and the Global Surgery Foundation hosted a special online event entitled “Quality Improvement Interventions to Reduce Anastomotic Leaks.”, on 3 December 2024 at 16:00 CET/ 10:00 AM EDT/ 07:00 AM PDT.

In 2023, GSF significantly expanded its global footprint, reaching several important milestones in priority areas, resulting in a record-breaking year for growth & frontline impact.

The GSF side-event at WHA77 convened a diverse array of global health leaders, representing UN member states, United Nations bodies, philanthropy, academia, civil society, and industry. The event report is now available.

The special WHA77 GSF side-event took place on 27 May 2024 at the Hôtel InterContinental.

2.2 million more surgical care clinicians are needed to provide access to safe surgical care for all. Read our new research article on “E-learning Supporting Surgical Training in Low-Resource Settings.”

The Global Surgery Foundation, UNITAR, and Takeda hosted an online event discussing Value-Based Healthcare Implementation.

The Global Surgery Foundation, UNITAR, and 2nd Chance Association hosted an online event discussing the role of reconstructive surgery in humanitarian responses to post-conflict and disaster emergencies.

The Lancet Oncology Commission on Global Cancer Surgery recently published their findings. They clearly show that we are not meeting the immense demand for cancer surgery, globally.

Publication: Capacity-building for Gynaecologic Cancers in LMICs

The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) recently published its bi-annual report for 2021-22. Download the report now to read about our team, highlighted activities, organisational growth, and expanding partnerships.

The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) officially announced SURGfund at its 76th World Health Assembly side event on 23 May 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Moving Dialogue to Implementation. The Global Surgery Foundation invites you a special World Health Assembly (WHA) side event on 23 May 2023.

We recommend this publication on a Financing Strategy to Expand Surgical Health Care by Desmond T. Jumbam, Che L. Reddy, John G. Meara, Emmanuel M. Makasa and Rifat Atun.