Aurolab
Part of the systematic Aravind Hospital approach is manufacturing its own supplied through its Aurolab social enterprise affiliate. I was able to visit the new manufacturing facility just outside Madurai. David Green calls the approach forensic accounting: if you truly want to serve as many people as possible, analyze the most expensive item involved and then figure out how much it really costs to make. Start making it more affordably. Repeat. I've heard that Aurolab is the second largest maker of intraocular lenses (IOLs)in the world by unit volume (not by revenues). They also make the microsutures that have been traditionally used in cataract operations (although my understanding is that the new foldable IOLs make microsutures obsolete for most operations today). They also make dozens of pharmaceuticals: if it goes into your eye as eyedrops, they probably make it. My wife and daughter, Virginia and Kate, were along for the tour. We had to dress up in clean room garb. Aur...