Article at a glance:
In India, 4.6 million people are HIV positive, and unless preventive measures are improved, the country's AIDS problem could become much worse. To slow the infection rate before it reaches the proportions seen in sub-Saharan Africa, the director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Indian AIDS initiative has created a network of public-private partnerships. Ashok Alexander brings his experience as a McKinsey consultant to bear on this enormous problem, employing management tactics to implement prevention programs, build awareness, and tap the resources of India's powerful business community.
The take-away
Although the initiative has received support from some corporate partners, India's businesses have been slow to recognize the severity of the AIDS threat. Pointing to the devastation in parts of Africa as a cautionary example, Alexander warns that businesspeople must go beyond altruism by looking at HIV prevention as an essential prerequisite for avoiding economic and social disaster.