Posted on 05/22/2006 9:32:29 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe
WHO chief dies after emergency brain surgery
22/05/2006 - 10:12:36
Dr Lee Jong-wook, head of the World Health Organisation, has died after emergency surgery for a blood clot in his brain over the weekend, officials in Geneva said today.
Lee, who spearheaded the UN health agency’s fight against the spread of bird flu and the preparations for a potential human influenza pandemic, died this morning, said South Korea’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Park Won-hwa. Lee was 61.
It is a “very sad bit of news”, Elena Salgado, Spain’s health minister and president of the World Health Assembly, said at the opening of the annual meeting of the 192 members of WHO.
Lee “was an exceptional person and an exceptional director-general”, Salgado said.
Lee, who took over as director-general of WHO in 2003, underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot in his brain at the weekend in the Cantonal Hospital of Geneva.
He fell ill on Saturday afternoon while attending an official function. He was taken to a hospital and medical staff operated immediately.
WHO had already said Lee would be in hospital for “some time” and would be unable to attend the World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of WHO members which started today.
Lee had worked for WHO for 23 years, including time served in regional posts.
Seeing that he fell ill in Switzerland (I assume), probably.
Thnaks.
Thanks for the ping!
Has anyone seen my irony? I forgot where I left it.
May he rest in peace.
I have a cousin who works for WHO. He also lives on a sailboat which he normally keeps docked in Spain or southern France. The last time I heard from him, he wrote me a little note on the paper they put around toilets after they clean them. He was in Sarajevo at that time.
My dad has notions that he used to be some sort of a spy....
"I wonder if the outcome would have been the same in an American hospital?"
That Geneva is a real Third World city. I'm not even sure whether they have anesthesia or electricity.
Seriously, I think that given who this is, he got the most expert care possible. Probably better than at a very large percentage of U.S. hospitals.
Since he worked for the U.N, and it was brain surgery, did they find one?
MY GAWD! He didn't even SMOKE!!!!!
exactly! He didn't smoke and he DIED ANYWAY!! AMAZING!! I thought if you didn't smoke you were supposed to live forever!
That's what the anti's keep telling everyone. heh!
You're two posts too early.
Geesh I hope someone I know never dies and find themselves posted on freepers. Talk about a bunch of nasty comments. Obviously he had no family or friends.
The Freeper cheerleading for people who die does yield rather nice quotes for those opposed to Conservatives.
Thanks for the ping! Mum here as well. 61...wow.
I had a good friend of the family, who retired and worked for WHO in Egypt, he often said WHO had good intentions, but got in their own way more often than not.
WHO chief dies after emergency brain surgery
In order to operate on something, you first have to have one.
No sympathy for this loss from me.
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