As I previously wrote, I have attended the Global Social Business Summit 2010 organized by Grameen Creative Lab and Prof. Yunus. It is an invitation only event with people from all over the world (companies, foundations, NGO, universities).
Workshop on "Health care and social business"
Like I already did at the Klassentreffen of Grameen Creative Lab, I've co-moderated the "health care and social business" workshop, this time with Imamus Sultan, CEO of Grameen Health Care. We have received many questions about the Social Business model to cure Thalassemia. I summarize some of them, with the answers we gave:
1) Since a Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) to cure thalassemia costs about 20/25,000 USD in Asia, wouldn't be better so spend the same money to cure many more patients for a desease which is less expensive?
Your question would be right if we would spend taxpayers money; we are a social business in the market, and our "customers" are the families who have a Thalassemia child and who can afford the cost of the BMT. So will will only use private money, and the gross profit will be used to cross-subside the BMT for patients who can't afford it.
2) Why people should come to Asia to have (BMT)
-Many Asian children suffers from Thalassemia, and some of them go to western countries, while it is better for the children (and less exoensive) to stay in thei country or in a similar one.
-Furthermore, there is medical tourism for hearth-surgery from all over the world to Asia, and it could also happen for BMT.
-Thanks to Prof. Guido Lucarelli, Italian doctors are famous in the world to cure Thalassemia, and the scientific coordination will be done by italian doctors.
- Another good reason is that a patient spends about 10% of what we would spend in western countries.
3) Do you plan to have patients from western countries?
Non at the beginning, but it could a goal for the next years. In the USA there are some insurance companies charging less if the patient accepts to have hearth surgery in Asia, in certified hospitals. We could do the same for BMT.
4) Will you also be involved in awarness and screening?
Not directly. But we know that once you inform a family that Thalassemia can be cured through BMT (so no more blood transfusions), then it is easier to convince all the relatives to screen themselves to see if they are carriers.
5) Will you create a blood bank?
It is not in our plans.
6) How do you decide how much to charge? Do you negotiate 1-to-1 with every patient?
We will not negotiate 1-to-1. The price will be the same for all the paying patients.
7) How will you attract CSR money?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important goal for us, in 2 ways:
- to look for the initial capital that we need to finance the start up of the BMT unit; like Prof. Yunus always says, CSR money is often (if not always) given for one-time projects (and sometimes just to have a good media coverage...), which need te be financed again the following years with other CSR money; on the contrary, in the social business you just need the initial capital, and in the following years it becomes financially self-sustainable.
- a company could use a slice of its CSR budget to sponsor a patient, paying his cure (for example the children of an employee).
International networking
In the other sessions that I have attended (financing social business, how companies could start a social business) I did an excellent high-level networking with people from all over the world. Here some of the names of the organization I'm in touch with:
Companies
Adidas , ArcelorMittal, BASF, Credit Agricole, Deutsche Telekom, GE Healthcare, Google, Danone, Humana, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Pepsi, SAP, Swarovski, UNIQLO, Volkswagen
Strategic Consultancy
Accenture, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, Roland Berger
Grameen family
Basf-Grameen, Grameen America, Grameen Creative Lab, Grameen Credit Agricole, Grameen Foundation, Grameen Health care, Grameen Research, Grameen Krishi (agriculture) Foundation, Grameen Motsho O Pashusampad Foundation, Grameen Telecom, Grameen Knitwear, Grameen Distribution, Grameen Fabrics & Fashions, Grameen Shakti, Grameen Trust, Grameen Uniqlo, Grameen Veolia, Yunus Center, Yunus center at Asian Institue of Technology
Academic World
Bocconi University, California State University Channel Island, European Business School (EBS), Glasgow Caledonian University, HEC Paris, IESE Barcelona, Istituto Europe di Design, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kyushu University, McGill University, Rikkyo University, Stanford, Yukiguni Maitake
Indian companies and foundations
iWatch, Reliance, Wockhardt Foundation, WhyPoll
Press
Wired, Vogue, Der Spiegel
To catch a Dollar
I've watched the premiere of the movie "To Catch a Dollar" by Gayle Ferraro, about the story of Grameen America, microcredit exported from Bangladesh to the whealtiest county of world! It will be in the theatres from March 10th 2011 (my birthday, by the way"), with a big launch at Google HQ with Prof. Yunus and Google CEO.
My thoughts
I also listened to Paulo Coelho' speech. When asked "What it the secret of your success?", he said "Honestly, I have no idea, and if I knew if wouldn't be the same. I just write what I like, and I wonder why millions of people all over the world read my books".
He also said that being happy doesn't mean to be rich, but to help other people, and I totally agree with him
It was also very interesting the speech of the indian film director Shekhar Kapur, Academy Award winner for the movie "Elizabeth"; I talked to him about my new india project "Cure Thalassemia".
I spoke to dozens of people of the Grameen companies, and also with Prof. Yunus at the gala dinner.
I've noticed that many big companies are seriously evaluating to start and/or be involved in social business, and I think it is very positive for the future of the Social Business idea.
I'll definitely come back next year, and thanks again to Prof. Yunus and his staff in Bangladesh and in Germany for the invitation and for having asked me to co-lead the health-care workshop.
