Getting Better – a special screening with Gulserene Dastur
Economists and politicians, urban planners and journalists all have theories, facts or figures to provide sophisticated answers to the question, “How much healthcare is affordable?” On the ground in King Edward Memorial(KEM) Hospital, this question is a grim reality as the hospital deals with over 1.7 million patients every year!
On World Health Day, Godrej India Culture Lab screened Gulserene Dastur’s poignant film on KEM Hospital – Getting Better. Filmed over four years, the movie traces the paths of doctors, patients, students and staff, at KEM, all trying to find ways to provide the best possible treatment for the largest number of people, irrespective of economic backgrounds.
Getting Better is a celebration of the fierce tradition of service, ambition, pride and excellence that permeates the hospital.
The film was followed by a discussion with the director conducted by Sanjay Oak, former Dean of KEM and current Vice Chancellor of DY Patil University.
About the filmmaker
Gulserene Dastur stumbled into filmmaking after a long career in aviation. On a visit to Bombay, her father had a bad fall, and after two months in ICU, succumbed to his injuries. This experience led to a five-year journey of exploration of healthcare in Bombay – first with the intention to make donations, later morphing into a desire to share what she had discovered of the little-known world of KEM Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College. Aided by her editor and co-director Anupama Chabukswar, she set out to capture the portrait of this flawed but remarkable institution.
