Session 6

Bio Business

Not to long ago, one of my uncle’s friends who worked at Microsoft and I were having a small talk and I asked him, are you guys worried about how Apple is catching up with you in terms of market power. His reply was short and sharp. He said that they at not so worried because the future of Microsoft is in the Healthcare sector and after seeing the video today… I guess he was right. During today’s discussion, there were 2 main points that are truly worth discussing. One, has the healthcare industry become a profiteering one? Has is lost sight of it’s main goal? Two, wellness management, is this the future of Healthcare?

On certain levels, the healthcare industry has become a profiteering one. How can it not? It’s essentially a business and a business can only survive if it’s profit margin is healthy. That’s the challenge we face in this day and age, to find that balance between helping people and making money. People under the poverty line can’t afford even basic healthcare, which is a human right. What happens to them? Even as a businessman I think it’s essential to realize that being socially responsible is important to. We live in a “We” culture not an “I” one therefore I agree that profiteering is vital for a business but let’s not forget that there are people out there who would use a helping hand. Let’s be there for them.

However at the same time, I’m quite optimistic that there will be a change in Corporate Social responsibility for the better. Why? When you do something good and you see the impact in has on those you helped, how do you feel? You feel like helping even more. You see this a lot in the big MNC’s now. Once they get into the habit of giving back to the community it’s hard to break that pattern. Plus, it shed’s a positive light on these companies as well.

On the topic of wellness management, I have a friend in yoga class and she is 60+ years old and she has not been to a doctor since she was 35. Why? She eat’s right and practices yoga everyday. I’m not saying living a healthy lifestyle will guarantee you a sickness free life but it will definitely decrease your chances of getting a disease.

Therefore wellness management should be the path that we should adopt. To educate ourselves on what must be done to achieve a truly healthy life. If we become dependant on liposuction to reduce obesity, yes we reduce obesity but that doesn’t mean we a less likely to have high cholesterol levels and a higher chance of heart disease. In terms of whether it will be adopted by the masses remains to be seen.

In conclusion, we are always in control of what we do. We do not have to have many resources to be resourceful. If you want your company to make a change in the lives of disease stricken children… you can. If you want to take control of your own well- being… you can.