ABOUT
Synopsis
Five billion people can’t access basic surgical care – a global crisis hidden in plain sight. Spanning seven countries and over a decade of footage, Syndemic follows surgeons, patients and local health systems confronting the overwhelming surgical backlog. We meet acid attack survivors fighting to reclaim their place in society, and children with burn injuries regaining the ability to close their eyes for the first time in years. In this world, access is a lottery and only the lucky few win.
The series begins by showing that the problem is solvable, then dismantles the idea that goodwill alone can fix it. Moving beyond charity narratives, Syndemic interrogates the political, economic and post-colonial systems that determine who receives care and who is left behind. For many of the five billion, this is their first and last chance.
Behind The Scenes
Syndemic is filmed across Uganda, Mongolia, India, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Fiji, in close collaboration with local and international medical teams, organisations and affected communities. The series captures intimate moments with patients and families, revealing both the life-changing power of surgery and the unrelenting systemic challenges.
Filming involves navigating complex environments and documenting deeply personal and often traumatic experiences. The team works closely with local healthcare providers and community leaders to ensure stories are represented with sensitivity, accuracy and in ways that amplify local voices.
The series combines observational footage with an in-depth look at the political contexts and health systems that shape access to care. Syndemic seeks to show the people, infrastructure and policies that will lead to measurable change.
Through this approach, the series aims to document both individual journeys and systemic realities, offering rare insight into an overlooked global health crisis while highlighting the power of locally-led solutions.
Our Work is About Building Systems That No Longer Need Us.
Impact
Every year, more people die from lack of access to surgery than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Access to essential surgical care is a critical component of global health, yet it remains the most neglected.
Change Goals:
Document the global surgical backlog and inequities in access, producing evidence that informs policy, funding and advocacy decisions.
Highlight the teams expanding access and building local capacity, showcasing strategies that can be replicated in other regions.
Expose political, economic and systemic barriers that prevent widespread surgical access, encouraging governments and funders to act.
Promote sustainable, locally-led solutions and discourage short-term, unregulated interventions that do not complete the cycle of care or strengthen local systems.
Foster partnerships that empower local communities, providing knowledge and resources so that international teams become supplementary rather than necessary over the next five years.
Increase awareness and accountability among policymakers and the health sector, generating tangible commitments to address the surgical gap.
The Team
Campaign Messages:
Surgical care is a basic human right, not a luxury.
Access to essential surgery should not depend on geography or wealth.
The global surgical backlog is solvable with political and financial prioritisation.
A locally-led, decolonised approach promotes equity, sustainability and the right to health.
Local communities and healthcare teams must be empowered to lead culturally and contextually relevant solutions.
Strengthening surgical systems improves overall health, economic growth and social equity.
Every child and adult deserves the chance to live free from preventable disability.
International support must prioritise capacity-building over short-term charity.
Transparent, ethical and locally-led initiatives create lasting impact.
The series is committed to ensuring that the voices of those directly affected are central to the storytelling. Developed in consultation with medical advisers, global health researchers and non-governmental organisations focused on health equity.
Woodrow Wilson
Director | Impact Photographer | Global Health Advocate
Woodrow is a filmmaker and advocate focused on improving surgical access in low- and middle-income countries. He has documented aid programs across healthcare, education and infrastructure since 2014, highlighting the systemic inequities that persist across borders.
In 2015, he filmed his first surgical program in the remote Indian village of Mahan – a project that shaped his understanding of the human cost of silence. Over the following years, Woodrow worked in Asia, Africa and the Pacific, documenting hundreds of children and adults with surgically treatable conditions, from burn injuries to trauma and congenital disorders.
Traditionally producing content for fundraising and advocacy, he recognised a critical gap in access to surgical care that impacts each community. Through his work, Woodrow seeks to raise awareness, amplify local voices and advocate for sustainable change.