The English Surgeon (2007) on Netflix
NR20071h 33mDocumentary
British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh visits Kyiv in 1992 to give lectures and finds conditions Britain has not seen in decades. He trains Ukrainian doctors and brings surgical instruments from home.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb8.0/10790 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
Henry Marsh, a British neurosurgeon, first comes to Kyiv in 1992 to give lectures and is appalled by the medical system he finds. He offers his help and is told his efforts will change little unless the entire health care system changes. He does what he can: training local doctors, bringing equipment from the United Kingdom and operating without charge. His colleague is the Ukrainian neurosurgeon Igor Petrovich Kurilets, who faces death threats from opponents of his attempts to improve local care and is fired from his post repeatedly. Together they treat patients who have been told they have no hope of survival, and they weigh a recurring question as they review scans: whether an operation will do more harm than good.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The English Surgeon (2007)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Henry Marsh, the British neurosurgeon the film follows, first went to Kyiv, Ukraine in 1992 to give lectures and was appalled by the medical system there; when he offered his help he was told it would be nothing more than "a drop of water in the ocean" unless he changed the whole health care system.
- Marsh began training Ukrainian doctors, brought surgical equipment over from the UK and performed surgery without charge, working alongside Dr Igor Kurilets to treat patients who had been told they had no hope of survival.
