Open Heart International

What Open Heart International does

Open Heart International (OHI) is a medical humanitarian organization and division of Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia, headquartered in Wahroonga, NSW at 185 Fox Valley Road. Founded in 1986, OHI deploys volunteer medical teams — surgeons, doctors, nurses, clinicians, and educators — to developing countries to perform specialized surgeries and to train local clinicians, with the explicit goal of enabling independent local surgical capacity after teams depart. The organization operates four core programs: cardiac surgery (treating congenital heart defects, rheumatic heart disease, and coronary artery disease), burns surgery (reconstructive surgery for burn contractures), eye surgery (cataract removal targeting avoidable blindness), and women's health (uterine prolapse and obstetric fistula). Operations span 11+ countries across the South Pacific (Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu), Asia (Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Cambodia), and Africa (Tanzania, Rwanda), with South America (Bolivia) also listed.

The underlying technology is clinical rather than software-based: surgical skill transfer programs, donated medical equipment and devices, and follow-up care protocols. OHI's per-procedure cost metrics are a core efficiency claim — cardiac surgery is delivered for approximately $3,500 per patient versus up to $100,000 in Australia, burns surgery for $1,000, women's health procedures for $300, and cataract surgery for $200. This cost structure is enabled by donated devices and instruments from a named corporate partner ecosystem including Abbott Medical, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic Australasia, Johnson & Johnson Medical, Getinge, Teleflex, Terumo, and others, combined with volunteer labor.

The business model is donation-driven. OHI is a registered charity under ADRA Australia (the official humanitarian agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia), funded through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, government grants (including the Australian NGO Cooperation Program), and volunteer fundraising pages hosted on the GoFundraise platform. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and adheres to its Code of Conduct. With 13 employees, OHI functions as a lean coordination entity that mobilizes a far larger volunteer base — for example, each Fiji mission alone deploys 40+ medical volunteers — and is governed by ADRA Australia's Board of Directors with no external institutional investors or venture capital backing.

Name

Open Heart International

Legal name

Adventist Development & Relief Agency Australia Limited

Website

https://ohi.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Heart International is a charitable medical humanitarian organization and division of ADRA Australia that sends volunteer surgical teams to 11+ developing countries to deliver cardiac, burns, eye, and women's health surgeries while training local medical staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Medical & Surgical Services

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardiac & Cardiothoracic Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAA), Ambulatory Cardiology Diagnostic & Procedure Centers (Non-hospital-based) (HLAFABAK)

Keywords

• Humanitarian medical services
• Cardiac surgery programs
• Volunteer medical missions
• Burns reconstruction surgery
• International health aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Wahroonga

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and fundraising: Revenue is generated through donations from individuals, corporate partners, and fundraising campaigns. The organization delivers medical surgeries at a fraction of the cost compared to developed countries, funded primarily by charitable contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Open Heart International provides specialized surgical care to patients in developing countries through volunteer medical teams across four program areas: Cardiac Surgery, Burns Reconstructive Surgery, Eye Surgery (cataract removal), and Women's Health (uterine prolapse and obstetric fistula repair). Services are delivered at partner hospitals in countries including Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Nepal, Tanzania, Philippines, Rwanda, Cambodia, Vanuatu, and Bolivia, with each mission also training local clinicians to perform surgeries independently after the volunteer team departs.

Product overview

Open Heart International (OHI) is a medical humanitarian organization operating as a division of Adventist Healthcare/ADRA Australia. The organization provides a portfolio of surgical programs focused on underserved communities in developing countries. The core offerings include four main program areas: Cardiac Surgery (treating congenital heart defects, rheumatic heart disease, and coronary artery disease), Burns Surgery (reconstructive surgery for burns victims and contractures), Eye Surgery (cataract removal and blindness prevention), and Women's Health (treatment for uterine prolapse and obstetric fistula). OHI delivers these services by sending volunteer medical teams who perform surgeries and train local clinicians. Funding for trips is facilitated through the GoFundraise online fundraising platform where volunteers create personal fundraising pages. Projects are conducted across multiple countries including Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Tanzania, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cardiac Surgery Program Life-saving cardiac surgery for patients with congenital heart defects, rheumatic heart disease, and coronary artery disease in countries lacking cardiac services. Volunteer medical teams perform surgeries and train local clinicians. Average cost per patient: $3,500.
• Burns Surgery Program Reconstructive surgery for burns victims, particularly treatment for disabling burn scar contractures. Based primarily at Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital in Banepa, Nepal. Average cost per patient: $1,000.
• Eye Surgery Program Cataract surgery and eye care services targeting avoidable blindness in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines. Average cost per patient: $200.
• Women's Health Program Surgical care and treatment for uterine prolapse and obstetric fistula affecting women in developing countries, with projects currently implemented in Nepal. Average cost per patient: $300.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cardiac surgery cost reduced from $100,000 in Australia to $3,500 overseas
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Edwards LifesciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical technology company providing heart valve technology. Provided Edwards Lifescience Inspiris Resillia Valve for patient surgeries.
• Abbott MedicalcoreTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner providing cardiovascular medical products for surgical missions.
• Medtronic AustralasiacoreTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner providing medical technology and devices for cardiac procedures.
• Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner providing medical supplies and equipment for surgical procedures.
• GetingecoreTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner providing medical equipment for surgical missions.
• Foresight AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in eye surgery program, collaborating on cataract surgery initiatives in the Philippines.
• Royal Australasian College of SurgeonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional body supporting surgical training and education programs.
• ADRA NepalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal implementing partner for women's health projects in Nepal, including COVID-19 support and community outreach.
• Scheer Memorial Adventist HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost hospital in Banepa, Nepal for burns surgery and women's health surgical programs.
• Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac InstitutecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDedicated not-for-profit cardiac facility in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where OHI teams perform surgeries.
• Colonial War Memorial HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPublic hospital in Suva, Fiji where OHI teams perform cardiac surgeries during annual visits.
• Adventist Hospital Santiago CitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner hospital in Philippines for eye surgery program in Cagayan Valley region.
• Port Moresby General HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHospital in Papua New Guinea where OHI is establishing an independent cardiac surgery unit.
• Austorient Freight ServicesminorOthersFreight services partner for transporting medical equipment and supplies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CURE International: Operates a network of pediatric specialty surgical hospitals in developing countries, focusing on conditions like clubfoot, cleft conditions, and hydrocephalus. Comparable humanitarian surgical NGO model with similar capacity-building and partner-hospital operating model.
• Interplast: Australian-based humanitarian organization sending volunteer surgical teams to provide reconstructive and plastic surgery in Asia-Pacific developing countries. Highly comparable peer with overlapping geographic focus and specialty mix (burns, reconstructive surgery).
• Operation Smile: Provides volunteer-led cleft lip and palate surgery in developing countries and trains local medical professionals. Operates the same volunteer-medical-mission-plus-capacity-building model that OHI uses, just focused on a single surgical specialty.
• Mercy Ships: Operates hospital ships delivering free surgical care (including cardiac, ophthalmic, and reconstructive surgery) to patients in developing countries, with strong focus on training local healthcare professionals. Closest structural peer to OHI in the volunteer-surgical-mission humanitarian model.
• ReSurge International: Provides reconstructive surgical care and training in developing countries, with particular focus on burns and trauma reconstruction. Directly comparable to OHI's Burns Surgery program in specialty, geography, and volunteer-and-train operating model.
• Fred Hollows Foundation: Australian-based humanitarian organization focused on ending avoidable blindness through cataract surgery and eye care capacity building in developing countries. Highly comparable to OHI's Eye Surgery program and similar in geographic focus (Asia-Pacific) and Australian origins.

Broad incumbents

• International Medical Corps: Global humanitarian organization providing healthcare, including surgical services, in conflict-affected and low-resource settings. Comparable humanitarian medical NGO but with broader emergency-response and primary-health focus rather than specialty surgical missions.
• Partners in Health: Provides comprehensive healthcare in resource-poor settings, including surgical services, in countries like Haiti, Rwanda, and Liberia. Comparable humanitarian health organization but with a broader primary-care-plus-specialty-care delivery model rather than mission-based surgical trips.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders): One of the world's largest humanitarian medical NGOs, providing emergency and surgical care in conflict and low-resource settings. MSF is a comparable humanitarian medical organization, though far larger and broader in scope than OHI's specialty-surgical mission model.

Emerging players

• Mending Kids: Provides surgical care to children in developing countries through volunteer medical teams and training of local providers. Smaller-scale direct peer operating the same volunteer-surgical-mission model with focus on pediatric cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/openheartintl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@openheartinternational956
• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenHeartInternational
• Instagraminstagram.com/openheartintl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-heart-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Heart International