It's a thank you letter from the head of DFID India, thanking me for taking the time to meet with the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell MP.
Of course, it's ironic I should be the one thanked, considering what an incredible opportunity it was to attend. It was a small lunch with Mitchell and his team; on the other side of the table, I was joined by five CEOs and managing directors of private equity firms in India. On DFID's part, Mitchell asked us ways in which DFID could better engage the private sector in investing in the poorest states of India. It was definitely a fascinating conversation -- both from the perspective of hearing how DFID itself is thinking about change, as well as hearing the perspectives of leaders in the field.
In a speech on wealth creation at the London School of Economics this past October, Mitchell spoke about the need for DFID to innovate. It's humbling to think that our small chain of hospitals can serve as a model worldwide, not only for social enterprises, but for governments and traditional aid organizations as well:
"I want DFID to learn from business. I want to explore how we might enrich DFID's own talent pool with a series of short-term secondments from the private sector in order to inject new, business-savvy DNA into the department.
I also want the new department to bring together representatives from business in ad hoc, time limited groups, being bold and finding creative solutions to development challenges. That, after all, is what business does so very well.
Let me give you just a few examples of the sort of creativity that private sector companies in their core business have already shown.
In India, the health company, LifeSpring, plans to provide quality ante and post-natal care for 82,000 women at some 30 to 50 percent of the market rate through specialisation in maternal healthcare, optimal use of resources and cost-sharing of ambulances, laboratories, and pharmacies. In doing this, it will also help to build capacity in the health system by employing more than four thousand doctors, nurses, and outreach workers."
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