For the past few years, I’ve been involved in several medical documentaries, either in preparation or completion. I had the opportunity to collaborate with Russ Haan and Derek Eilles, who represent the film crew hired by Edward Lifesciences. Their first project was a Mumbai-based project in 2018, and later, in 2024, they travelled to various locations in northern India. The aim of their work is to raise awareness about various diseases in rural India and the challenges faced by the less privileged sections of society. Additionally, the project sought to understand how local governance manages the arrangements and collaborations between the local council and medical staff at Community Health Centres.

Back in 2018, when they arrived, I collaborated with my colleagues, Hetal Patel and Ankita Palkar. We conducted interviews with school children and staff at a local school in Dharavi slums. We also visited Juhu Beach, where we were pleasantly surprised by the population boom we witnessed. It was a fun shoot, and we didn’t realise we would be collaborating again. 

Enter 2024, and we embarked on a journey to understand the impact of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in India. Supported by Stanford Biodesign and Pro Bono Corps, we conducted interviews in northern India, focusing on Haryana, Delhi NCR, and Uttar Pradesh.

Our first stop was Delhi, where we met Stanford Biodesign delegates at Innov8 Studios in South Delhi district. Myself and my colleague Pankaj Kandpal, then travelled to Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences in Rohtak, where we interviewed Dr. Anita Saxena, who shed light on the severity of RHD.

Next, we visited a local clinic in Ghaziabad to speak with medical professionals. Our journey continued to Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), where we interviewed HODs to gain insights into the implications, improvements, development, and challenges faced by individuals with RHD.

The purpose of these interviews was to understand the extent of RHD in India, which accounts for 40% of global cases. We explored various aspects, including the condition of hospitals, the facilities available to the general public, the affordability of treatment, the attitudes of doctors and patients towards the disease, and the role of local medical staff in providing comfort to patients.

Our goal was to bridge the gap between medical staff and the general public, recognising the pivotal role hospitals play in achieving this. 

Another medical documentary research I conducted with my wife, Mrdu, was funded by Bloomberg. Unfortunately, due to logistical hurdles, the project couldn’t be completed. We had visited King George Medical University in Lucknow and were in talks with the medical authorities to film the neonatal facility, where premature babies are kept in incubators. What we witnessed in the hospital was overwhelmingly emotional. Tiny babies were wrapped around plastic tubes and kept in incubators. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, there was always room for improvement.

The project couldn’t proceed because of permission delays from the higher authorities of the KGMU. However, the research journey did open our eyes to different aspects of healthcare.

I firmly believe that medical documentaries provide us with a grassroots-level understanding of governance, administration, and organisation. They help us comprehend this complex country a little better.