Innovation that saves lives

The quality of health care is one of the issues that highlights the great divide between advanced and less developed societies. In this chapter we present a view of the global healthcare industry, describing key indicators and its many different activities. Then, we look at trends and innovative actions that are shaking the industry, along with the drivers of health care shortly. Afterwards, we present a broad panorama of health care in Latin America. Five exemplary cases serve the purpose of illustrating how companies and individuals are bringing new solutions to the market, thus fostering change and improving the quality of life for many people. Those cases refer to dental services, specialized clinics for diabetes, pharmacies, home care services, and hospitals. We look at the founders of the chosen organizations, scanning the steps taken until the complete success of their proposals. Thus, we drive our quest for those elements of their business models that are suitable to reproduce in emerging nations with similar market conditions. In the end, we present some recommendations for companies of any size that are willing to venture into the healthcare industry in Latin America.