OPEN HEART (DOCUMENTARY FILM)

Summary

A short documentary film about a group of Rwandan children with rheumatic heart disease, and their experiences at a hospital designed to give free heart surgery to African underprivileged. In Rwanda, Dr. Emmanuel Rusingiza, one of only two cardiologists in the country, arranges for eight Rwandan children to be transported to the Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery in Sudan. Although rheumatic heart disease in children has been all-but eliminated in first-world countries, it is a problem that plagues over 13 million African children. In an effort to help combat the disease, Dr. Emmanuel selects eight patients ranging in age from three to nineteen years old whom he feels are in especially critical condition to go to the Salam Center and receive treatment. He often laments that he cannot do more to help his patients, and hopes that the Salam Center will provide a good example of changes in medical care throughout Africa. The parents of the children being sent off are permitted to accompany their children to the airport, but cannot come with them due to the expense involved. The children and their families bid each other goodbye, realizing that there is a chance they will not be returning. Dr. Emmanuel accompanies the children as they fly 2,500 miles to the city of Khartoum, and from there take a bus to the Center 40 kilometers away. The Salam Center is run by an Italian medical organization called "Emergency," which also provides most of its funding. Approximately a quarter of the Center's funding comes from the Sudanese government, although their financial support has been dwindling since the recent devaluation of Sudan's currency. Dr. Emmanuel meets the surgeon in charge, Dr. Gino Strada, the founder of Emergency, who shows him around the facility. The Center's staff gets to work performing tests on the children and readying them for surgery. One child, Angelique, is examined and Dr. Strada notes that her surgery will be particularly difficult. Her valve may be too damaged to repair, and if she receives a mechanical valve she will require anti-coagulation medicine for the rest of her life. Dr. Emmanuel leaves to return to Rwanda; he is optimistic about the surgeries but knows that success is not guaranteed. The day of surgery arrives and Dr. Strada and his team set to work. Angelique's heart presents some difficulties, but the operation is performed successfully, albeit with some leftover damage to the left ventricle. All of the children's surgeries are successful; all of them are given artificial valves to maintain their hearts. Four days later the children are released from the ICU and begin their recovery period. In Kigali, Rwanda, Dr. Emmanuel arranges a Skype call between the children and their parents, and they are happy to see each other. After their conversation, Dr. Emmanuel tells the parents that their recovery is going well, although the first month is often the hardest. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of Sudan, makes a surprise visit to the Salam Center. Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on a genocide count, but Dr. Strada cares only about his interaction with the Center, nothing more. During a meeting Dr. Strada addresses the dwindling funds coming from Sudan's government. President al-Bashir makes several suggestions involving the privatization of the Center, but Dr. Strada and his associates do not wish to betray the central concept of hospital. They hope that eventually they will no longer have to rely on the Sudanese government for funding. Six weeks after the surgery the children are nearly fully recovered and prepare to make the journey back home. They seem to have formed a tight kinship with each other. One of them, Marie, is called in to meet with the doctor since they detected a minor defect in her artificial valve, and she will need to stay longer for an additional operation. She is extremely nervous at this, believing that she will not survive a second operation. When she refuses to eat her food, the other children stop by before leaving and convince her to go through with the surgery, and she complies. Dr. Strada hopes that more hospitals like the Salam Center will be built throughout Africa to further his dream of giving Africans a higher standard of healthcare. The children return to Rwanda and are greeted by their parents, overjoyed to reunite them. Dr. Emmanuel hopes that rheumatic heart disease will become a higher priority for African nations, and that Rwanda can focus on more preventative measures in the future. Six weeks later, Marie returns home and is greeted by her father, immensely grateful to see her alive and well.

Details

NETWORK: N/A
DATE: January 15, 2013
RUNNING TIME: 0:39:21
COLOR/B&W: Color
CATALOG ID: 110194
GENRE: Public affairs/documentaries
SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/documentaries
SERIES RUN: N/A
COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

Geralyn Dreyfous … Executive Producer
Rick Rosenthal … Executive Producer
Nancy Stephens … Executive Producer
Eric Dobkin … Executive Producer
Sean Mewshaw … Executive Producer
Desi Van Til … Executive Producer
Damon Lindelof … Executive Producer
Heidi Lindelof … Executive Producer
Abigail Disney … Co-Executive Producer
Kief Davidson … Producer, Director
Cori Shepherd Stern … Producer
Johnny Klimek … Music by
Gabriel Isaac Mounsey … Music by
Emmanuel Rusingiza … Guest
Angelique Tuyishimire … Guest
Jean Ndayisaba … Guest
Marie Murekatete … Guest
Minani Claver … Guest
Marie-Louise Nyirgatesi … Guest
Jeanne D'Arc Mukandekezi … Guest
Dorianne Mbabzi … Guest
Jeannette Mutumiyana … Guest
Claire Murekatete … Guest
Patrice Nyabyenda … Guest
Joas Nshimiyimana … Guest
Francine Uwimana … Guest
Bruno Wiyonsenga … Guest
Beatrice Mukashema … Guest
Bosco Jean Tuyizere … Guest
Alphonse Bimenyimana … Guest
Joseph Mucumbitsi … Guest
Eleonora del Gaudio … Guest
Gino Strada … Guest
Gina Portella … Guest
Gedeon Ngoga … Guest
Omar Hassan al-Bashir … Guest
Rossella Miccio … Guest
Jean de Dieu Kayumba … Guest