From as early as 1973, Sydney Adventist Hospital (the San) sent volunteer medical outreach teams to developing countries to provide surgery, training and health education. Initially medical outreach teams travelled sporadically to Atoifi in the Solomon Islands. Then in the mid-1980s, at the initiative of San nurse Russell Lee, the San officially launched Operation Open Heart—with regular, coordinated cardiac surgical teams visiting Tonga and further afield.
Volunteer San nurses and doctors, as well as medical personnel from other hospitals, are eager to participate in this life-changing, life-saving work. Each team member pays their own way, often using their annual leave to take part—saying these trips are life changing personally as well as for those they serve.
As the outreach program expanded, it was renamed Open Heart International (OHI). More than 6000 patients have received free surgery in 16 countries including Mongolia, Vietnam, Fiji, Myanmar, Cambodia, Nepal, Vanuatu, Tanzania and Rwanda. Services expanded from cardiac surgery to eye surgery, reconstructive surgery (burns and cleft palate) and women’s health.
OHI is a key missional outreach of the San. The program is being reinvigorated following the pandemic disruption and will now predominantly focus on the South Pacific. In March, OHI had a successful surgical trip to PNG, operating on children with congenital heart defects. Seeing children run around smiling and laughing the day after heart surgery is particularly special, when for years they’ve failed to thrive due to significant heart defects.
Knowledge-sharing and skill-building are essential elements of OHI trips. Over time and with repeated trips, OHI teams support local doctors and staff to become more self-sufficient. Medical personnel from developing countries sometimes come to Australia for periods of further training.
The San is very proud of Open Heart International, and we look forward to continued engagement with our South Pacific neighbours in their particular areas of need. It is indeed a privilege and a blessing to be involved in volunteer medical outreach. We invite your continued prayers and support for this key missional program of the San. For more information, visit ohi.org.au.
Brett Goods is the CEO of Adventist HealthCare.
