In the lead up to the Khemka Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, ThinkChange India will run a series of podcasts/interviews from Indian leaders of social innovation.  This is the first post of the series.

Shivraj Parshad of the PRactice interviewed Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, an Indian philanthropist and cardiac surgeon.  Dr. Shettyfounded Narayana Hrudayalaya, a hospital that includes a cardiac surgery speciality.   Dr. Shetty is also the designer of Yeshasvini, the world’s cheapest comprehensive health insurance scheme, which is used in Karnataka.

Dr. Shetty makes two major points in his interview:

1) The micro health insurance sector is one where there has to be numbers; without scale, no scheme will succeed.

2) The sector cannot be managed by anyone other than government; he opposes private entities trying to manage the sector, other than being suppliers of hospitals, drugs and support.

Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview podcast can be found here.  To read the entire transcript, please read this file: Dr. Devi Shetty interview transcript