An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The old adage is particularly applicable to healthcare in developing countries, where millions of people die or get sick each year from illnesses that are easily preventable. The financial costs of these illnesses far outweigh the minimal costs of prevention, yet even these expenses are currently out of reach for the poorest. Today however, a number of new initiatives are seeking to address this injustice by producing consumer products that prevent diseases and are affordable to the masses.

This post is a continuation in my series about Healthcare Delivery at the BOP. In my previous post, I highlighted examples of enterprises that make use of the franchising business model to provide healthcare to the poor. In this post, I will look at consumer products that help prevent respiratory diseases and malaria. As always, I encourage you to post your comments and questions.

Indoor Air Pollution

More than half of the world’s population relies on biomass (dung, wood, or crop waste) for their cooking needs. Although they are inexpensive, burning such solid fuels indoors without chimneys or proper ventilation produces a range of harmful indoor air pollutants, including small particles that are up to 100 times acceptable levels. This pollution currently results in 1.6 million deaths annually due to pneumonia, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer. With populations growing and alternatives such as kerosene or liquid petroleum gas becoming more expensive, the numbers of people relying on such fuels – as well as the negative health effects - are set to grow.

The International Finance Corporation and the Financial Times are sponsoring a research paper competition for 2005-2006. Top prize is US $30,000; all told, $90,000 will be awarded. Your 4,000 word (max) research paper should "add to the global discussion on private sector development and economic growth by providing new and innovative analyses, perspectives, or ideas."

Those thinking of submitting old undergraduate or graduate work, beware: the judging committee won't go for that. Trust me - I know one of them.