Nobel Laureate Develops Low-Cost Health Care System for Bangladesh (cost is $2/year)

It is worth mentioning that Muhammad Yunus is not only a microcredit pioneer but also co-created Grameen Phone, the very first mass cell phone provider in Bangladesh. They implemented a very innovative business model to make cell phones accessible to the poor, by allowing the cell phone owner (a villager) to resell minutes to other people in that same village.

What is interesting (and relevant for HN) is that the Grameen Phone experience demonstrates how access to technology empowers people exponentially:

1) The cell phone owner (villager) has a new source of income

2) The other villagers also increase their income, because now with access to crop information and market info, they can run their crops with less waste and negotiate a better price

3) Women is empowered because most of the phone owners are women (who are disenfranchised in that society)

This TED talk is pretty on point/inspirational as well on building sustainable and even world class healthcare in developing countries - http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ernest_madu_on_world_clas....

I'm glad they're improving their situation.

But it can't work here. Are you going to be satisfied when your spouse or child is seriously ill, if you can only talk to a doctor by telephone, and no specialist ever even examines the patient?