The global burden of injury surpasses those of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.1 However, trauma systems development is massively underfunded, accounting for only 0.02% of global development assistance for care.2 The majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face substantial gaps in trauma care services, with significant challenges in clinical care, education, training and quality assurance programs.3 Addressing the global burden of injury requires comprehensive efforts to strengthen the trauma chain of survival, including prehospital care, resuscitation, definitive treatment and rehabilitation.4 Despite efforts to improve global access to trauma care, trauma rehabilitation services remain widely unavailable in SSA.5 A lack of data about the long-term functional outcomes of patients with trauma in LMICs, where patients with disabilities are at especially high risk of being lost to follow up, poses a significant challenge for trauma rehabilitation capacity building and advocacy. Diseases and injuries collaborators. global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2019. Long-term follow-up of pediatric head trauma patients treated at mulago national referral hospital in Uganda.