About OHI Our Mission Our Goals Our Board Our History Open Heart International is Interventional, Developmental and Sustainable. We improve the global quality of life through service delivery, training and capacity building in developing countries. We will implement projects that: Provide medical treatment for patients in developing countries who do not have access to such treatment owing to a lack of the necessary technical or financial means in their own country, irrespective of their nationality, race, or religion. Provide training for local medical, nursing, and allied health staff in the specialist fields associated with different diseases. Empower local health professionals and support staff in the countries we visit to deliver enhanced health care. Create awareness and support the development of prevention and rehabilitation services in developing countries. Facilitate and support Australian healthcare professionals to engage in the health care development processes in developing countries. ADRA Australia’s board is accountable for the achievement of our purpose as outlined in our constitution. That being, to reduce poverty by serving people and communities in need, by the provision of humanitarian, development and relief aid and assistance in Australia and overseas without regard to ethnic, political, racial or religion association or qualification. With the exception of four ex-officio members (which are selected from specified leadership positions within the Seventh-day Adventist Church), Board members provide their services on a voluntary basis. Experience represented on the ADRA Board includes international development, community and emergency management, administration, finance, legal, research and marketing. Meet Our Board 1983 Intensive Care Nurse, Mr. Russell Lee visits his missionary parents in Tonga, returning to Australia determined to find a way for Tongans to access cardiac surgery. 1985 With limited availability to bring patients to Australia, “Operation Open Heart to Tonga” is officially established with the aim of taking a team to provide surgery in Tonga. It is a coordinated effort between Sydney Adventist Hospital staff (as volunteers), Hospital administration, and the Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA). 1986 45 volunteers form Operation Open Heart’s first ever surgical team and travel to Tonga. 15 lives are changed in Tonga. 1987 Second visit to Tonga takes place. First ever bypass (open heart) surgery and valve replacement takes place. 1989 Cardiac surgery teams visit Nepal and Vanuatu for the first time. 1990 Cardiac surgery team visits Fiji for the first time. 1993 China hosts a cardiac surgery team for the first time. 1994 Under the leadership of Dr. Charles Sharpe a cleft lip and palate surgery team commences in Nepal. The Cardiac program is again expanded with the first visit to Papua New Guinea. HealthCare Outreach begins to be used as the umbrella name for all activities conducted. 1997 A cardiac team visits Mongolia and Solomon Islands for the first time. 2000 Dr. Alan Gale and Mrs. Annette Baldwin receive the Order of Fiji. A cardiac educational project is established in Vietnam. 2003 Cardiac project work begins in Myanmar. 2004 The Nepal cleft lip and palate program concludes. The needs of the local community continue to be met by trained Nepalese surgeons and other international visiting teams. 2005 An orthopaedic project in Cambodia is established under the leadership of Dr. Graham Gumley specifically focused on hand and upper limb surgery. 2006 Operation Open Heart lands on the African continent for the first time with a visit to Rwanda. In response to emerging needs, the Nepal burns surgery program commences to replace the cleft lip and palate project. 2007 Cambodia hosts its first cardiac visit. 2008 In PNG, 5 volunteers receive the Member of the Order of Longhu, and 2 the Cross of Medical Service Medal. 2009 The first full-time staff member and manager is appointed. 2010 100th coordinated visit is celebrated during the cardiac visit to Fiji. We celebrate the 3000th patient treated during a cardiac visit to PNG. Gynaecology surgeons join the Nepal burns project in response to the overwhelming need for uterine prolapse surgery. Special Recognition Award is received at Australian Private Hospital Awards for “Excellence in Service Provision to International Communities” 2011 The 25th anniversary is celebrated with “Art from The Heart”, a collection of favourite photographs and images. A permanent display now resides in the entry of Sydney Adventist Hospital. The first Primary Health project commences in Cambodia. 2012 The Women’s Health Nepal project is officially established following two years as part of the Burns Surgery project. The separation of the teams gives both the opportunity to grow. 2013 The first Eye Surgery project is launched, with over 130 patients receiving surgery in the Philippines. Open Heart International is launched as a new identity to better reflect the work of the entire program. The name draws its meaning not only from the origins of the program, but from the openness and giving of the volunteers. 2014 The Rwanda project expands to include Tanzania and the project is renamed East Africa. 2015 The 150th project visit since inception occurs, with a visit to the Philippines. 2016 Dr Ian Nicholson (AM) is selected as NSW finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards. Open Heart International joins forces with ADRA Australia to leverage opportunites for growth, enhance our impact, and improve efficiency. New projects begin in Ahmedabad, India and Cochabamba, Bolivia. Latest News Get the latest updates, stories and insights from our work around the globe. Galleries View and download glimpses of your impact at home and overseas. Contact Us Get in contact with our team to discover more or to get involved. Our History Our Board Corporate Information How can I become a volunteer? We welcome expressions of interest from suitably qualified volunteers for various medical and nursing positions. However, COVID-19 remains an ongoing global health risk in the project countries we work in and pushing hospitals to capacity. Our project countries are anticipating our return to continuing the work that Open Heart International has started. We are standing by when they are ready. It has not stopped us from our work. If anything, this period of change has emphasised how precious the training component of our projects really is. So, while we may have paused our medical project trips and onboarding of new volunteers, for the time being, we are working on how we can strengthen clinical capacity development and health systems in the countries where we work in. We highly recommend you download our Volunteer Guide which will assist you in getting better acquainted with our organisation. Are my donations tax-deductible? All donations to ADRA Australia of $2 or more a tax-deductible. I have volunteered before, why am I being asked to register? In 2013 a total volunteer management system was implemented by Open Heart International. The management system eliminates the need for you to complete a lot of paperwork each time you volunteer. If your last deployment with Open Heart International was prior to 2013, you may not have a user profile, and you will need to register. After you register, an account and user profile will be setup. Simply keep your profile up-to-date with your interests, availability, your contact information, and skills/expertise so we can easily stay in touch. I have unwanted medical supplies and equipment. Can I donate them to you? Open Heart International is very grateful for the goodwill and generosity of so many people. If you are enquiring from a hospital with outdated equipment or capital items, we would welcome a discussion about the equipment if it is used in a medical speciality that we are currently implementing projects. We have an obligation to ensure that any equipment that is donated to hospitals in developing countries is fit for use, and can be sustainably serviced. We would also welcome discussions with medical supply companies about donation of bulk unwanted stock of consumables that are still within expiry date, provided they are used in a medical specialty that we are currently implementing projects. We do not accept “one off” or “assorted” boxes of consumables, pharmaceuticals or other supplies or equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches or the like. Please contact us to discuss further. Do I have to work at Sydney Adventist Hospital to be a volunteer? Open Heart International is a partnership of ADRA Australia and Sydney Adventist Hospital. Our team however, is comprised of people from all over Australia. It would be impossible for all team members to come from the one hospital as it would likely shut down surgery at one hospital! I do not live in Australia. Can I still volunteer? With our headquarters in Australia, it is only natural that the majority of our team are from Australia. We welcome applications from Australians living internationally, non-Australian citizens living in Australia, and also the global community. So wherever you live and work on Planet Earth, consider volunteering with us if you have the appropriate skills and experience! What positions are available for your teams? Each team’s composition is based on the needs of the team and the individual country. All job roles that you would expect for quality surgical management are usually included. A list of usual positions are included in the online application. When you apply, please select as many roles as you believe you are qualified to fulfil. Do you have work for non-clinical staff? As you would expect, our teams are nearly all filled with clinical staff. There are a small amount of non-clinical staff involved in the teams from time to time for specific reasons. These people are included and recruited for specific roles on an ad-hoc basis. If you have a non-medical background, perhaps fundraising, marketing, business and/or public relations, we would welcome an individual conversation with you about how you can assist us to achieve our goals. Please contact us for a chat! I would like my loved one to travel to Australia for specialist surgery in Australia. Can you assist? We are not involved in bringing patients to Australia for surgery. The cost of providing surgery in Australia is significantly higher than the costs in the countries we travel to. We also believe that by providing surgery to patients in the country they live, we provide more familiar surroundings for recovery, and we leave a residual impact on the health system in the country that we visit. Furthermore, our work is focused on training and strengthening the clinical capacity of the local staff and health systems in the countries where we work. How can I be selected as a team member? To be selected to a position on an Open Heart International team, you must be registered volunteer. You must have a current profile to be considered. My loved one lives in a separate country, but nearby to the country where you are working. Can you assist? The projects we undertake are a partnership between an in-country partner and ourselves, with specific goals to help that individual developing country. As the need is usually more than what we are capable of handling, it is usually not viable for the country to accept patients from other nearby countries. Do you accept registrars, residents, interns or students? We do not accept applications from registrars, residents, interns or students. The primary reason for this is we are trying to engage, train and teach the local staff in the countries where we work. The use of registrars and/or students, we feel, generally diminishes the teaching and training opportunities for the local people. Depending on the individual situation within the country we are visiting, registrars may be used where this enhances the team’s ability without reducing the opportunities for local staff to be involved in the project. Where this occurs, our policy is to approach the relevant consultants who are volunteering in that area about a registrar they would like to nominate. My loved one requires specialist surgery in Australia. Can you assist? We are an internationally focused organisation trying to improve the access to specialist medical care in developing countries. We are unable to support the costs of Australians to receive surgery in Australia, or for Australians that become ill or injured while travelling in developing countries. Do you accept Enrolled nurses or only Registered Nurses? We recruit volunteers based on their experience, and flexibility to adapt to the challenges of working in developing countries. We are happy to consider Enrolled nurses for some positions. I would like you to consider a new project. Can you set up a project in my area? We are always interested in having a discussion about potential new projects, and ways in which we can provide even more support to developing countries. Please read about Our Impact to acquaint yourself with the type of projects that we undertake. Our projects are only successful when we are working with a strong in-country partner, either a hospital, not-for-profit organisation, or a government Ministry of Health. If you believe that you are able to partner with us, please contact us for more information and to talk about your project ideas. Can I go as an observer if I pay my own way? Open Heart International is very grateful for the interest, however we are usually unable to accommodate these requests. As you can imagine our partners have policies related to non-essential access to clinical areas within their hospitals. I am already a registered volunteer. How do I apply for a team? You will need to login to your profile, to access the secure volunteers area. The login can be found on the top menu bar of our website. Once you have logged in you will see a list of upcoming project visits we are planning. Simply select the trip (prior to the deadline) to express your interest. Please also visit our Volunteer Vacancies page to see what positions we are currently recruiting for. What is your association with ADRA Australia? Open Heart International has always had maintained a working relationship with ADRA. In 2016, Open Heart International formally transitioned to operate as division of ADRA Australia. By joining forces, both organisations improve efficiency, impact and leverage opportunities for growth. Please visit www.adra.org.au for more information about ADRA Australia. What is your selection process? When selecting a team, suitable team members from the previous Project Visit(s) to the country are invited to return. These team members have first priority to fill the spaces on the team. Once they have advised their intentions, we know what vacancies exist in the team. We then review our database to find interested volunteers with the right skills and experience for that specific vacancy. If you are matched with a specific vacancy we will make contact with you to discuss your availability. If you accept a position on a team, we will then organise specific country paperwork (including a criminal records check) with you prior to departure. We will provide information about this process if you are matched to a vacancy. What is your association with Sydney Adventist Hospital? Open Heart International was established in 1985 by Mr. Russell Lee, Mr. Rudi Morgan and Dr. John Wallace as volunteers, who all worked for Sydney Adventist Hospital at the time. Open Heart International is a partnership of ADRA Australia and Sydney Adventist Hospital. Sydney Adventist Hospital provides in-kind operational support. In addition, our office is located on the Hospital’s campus. Please visit www.sah.org.au for more information about Sydney Adventist Hospital. I have registered, when will I hear from you? This is a difficult question to answer. It depends on the vacancies on each Project Visit and also our travel schedule. What is the governance structure of Open Heart International? Open Heart International is part of ADRA Australia. It is therefore responsible to the Board of Directors and to the Executive Committee of ADRA Australia. The day-to-day operations of Open Heart International are controlled by a Steering Committee under a Terms of Reference agreement with ADRA Australia. You can find details of our staff and Project Coordinators by visiting the Our Team page on our website. What happens after I register? You are added to our database of interested people. We will contact you based on vacancies. Is Open Heart International audited? The finances of Open Heart International are audited as part of the financial controls and mechanisms in place by ADRA Australia. Is my information secure? The Open Heart International website uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) as a encryption protocol to provide communication security over the information you are providing to us. You can view our SSL certificate details by clicking on the padlock icon. Generally speaking, the padlock icon will be near the address bar in your internet browser, but its actual location will vary depending on the browser you are using. Once the information is transmitted to the server, it remains secure. We use a well known and reputable hosting company who utilise industry best practice to ensure the security of their web servers and hosting accounts. Our website content management system and software is regularly updated to ensure security is kept up to date, and we also undertake rigorous commercial penetration testing to ensure data security and integrity. For more details, please visit our Privacy Policy. Is Open Heart International a registered charity? Open Heart International is a division of ADRA Australia. All relevant registrations and accreditations are held under the legal entity name – Adventist Development and Relief Agency Australia Limited. We are a: – Public company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act – Registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission – Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) and endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) – An Income Tax Exempt Charity (holding tax concessions and exemptions relating to income, goods and services, and fringe benefits taxes), and operate an Overseas Aid Fund and Necessitous Persons Fund, endorsed as DGRs – Fundraiser throughout Australia and registered under fundraising legislation as required. – Fully accredited with the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (formerly AusAID). The stringent accreditation process provides the Australian Government and Australian public with the confidence that ADRA is a professional, well-managed, community-based organisation capable of delivering successful development outcomes. – A member of Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), adherent to the ACFID Code of Conduct, organisational member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia and a fully endorsed member of Australian Council for Social Services (ACOSS). What costs are involved? There is no cost to be included in our database. If you are selected for a team, you will be asked to make a financial commitment to Open Heart International. This amount varies depending on the location, and currently ranges from approximately $1,500 to $3,500. You are able to personally pay this yourself or fundraise this amount. Open Heart International organises travel and accommodation on your behalf including payment. Other than travel incidentals (which we discuss with you), there are usually no other major expenses you need to budget for. Why does my receipt refer to ADRA Australia? ADRA Australia, as our parent entity, holds the Deductible Gift Recipient status to allow your gift to be tax deductible. Your gift has been received by ADRA Australia, but it will be specifically used by Open Heart International. Can I bring my partner or family? The first thing to consider is that as a volunteer you’ll be incredibly busy. The days (or nights) are long! We would prefer that you do not consider bringing your partner or family, as this puts additional resource demands on us and also on our local partners. It also interrupts the accommodation provisions and in some cases it can alter the team dynamics. Our suggestion is that you consider adding some extra time to your visit, and have your loved one(s) travel with you prior to the Project Visit commencing, or have them meet you at the end of the Project Visit. Is my donation tax deductible? Gifts over $2 are tax deductible. Is it competitive to get a place in a team? We are always looking for the best possible staff for our Project Visits. This is both in terms of clinical experience and also your passion and flexibility towards working in the developing world. In some nursing disciplines we have more demand for places than we have positions in any given year, and we then must decide on which people would be most suitable for our teams. For our cardiac projects, we are always keen to hear from Intensivists, Anaesthetists and Perfusionists, particularly if you are working in a paediatric environment. For cardiac nursing disciplines we would expect that you have at least 2-3 years experience in a cardiac unit and/or high dependency unit. Neonatal, paediatric and adolescent experience (with or without cardiac experience) is well regarded. Please ensure your CV reflects specifically reflects your experience, and also your experience levels in neonatal, paediatric, adolescent and adult nursing. I already have a Working with Children Check, why must I complete a Criminal Clearance? All volunteers need to submit to a full criminal check completed prior to their deployment. This has been done partly because of Australian Government requirements, but more importantly because we take child safety and protection seriously. Open Heart International has an online service to streamline this process, and we cover the cost associated with the check. A full criminal records check is more expansive than a Working with Children check. Why do I have to upload photos of myself? We ask that you upload two photos. Please take a photo similar to the one on your passport. This is used for various applications that we complete on your behalf for medical registrations in the countries we visit. The second is a casual photo. There is no specific requirements for this photo, other than you should be clearly identified in the picture. This photo is used to identify you in various places on our website, primarily in the blog section. What do you expect from your volunteers? To gain more understanding of what to expect as a volunteer, we recommend you read our Volunteer Guide. You should also familiarise yourself with the Code of Conduct and the Volunteer Agreement. Will I receive further information? We highly recommend you download our Volunteer Guide which will assist you in getting better acquainted with our organisation. If you are selected for a Project Visit, you will receive additional information with more specific information about the project and country that you will visit. How do I find out further information? We highly recommend you download our Volunteer Guide which will assist you in getting better acquainted with our organisation. Feel free to contact us if you have any other questions. See all FAQs
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