The Hardest Working Man, ever.

TITLE: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.
AUTHOR: Tracy Kidder
PUBLISHER: Random House
317 Pages
$21.00 CDN

BIG IDEA

Do you think you work too hard for too little? Well, you don’t. In one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever read Dr. Paul Farmer imagines a world without infectious disease, especially those eradicated in the Western world, like tuberculosis. Mountains Beyond Mountains recounts Farmer’s journey from living on a barge with his family, to simultaneously pursuing two graduate degrees at Harvard, to starting a first-class medical facility in the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. Along the way questioning why the worldwide pharmaceutical market has failed to provide those in need with proper medicine.

WHAT WE THINK

In Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder introduces us to Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who started a hospital in Haiti while completing a medical and doctorate degree at Harvard: a man who, without a doubt, works harder than you do. For several years, Kidder follows Farmer: from a Boston Hospital where he works and teaches to his Haitian hospital where he spends every possible minute treating people. In the midst of all of these commitments, Farmer also answers about 200 emails per day, plans and coordinates another Partner in Health (PIH) operation in Peru, and does consulting work on Russia’s Tuberculosis (TB) management program. Along the way, Farmer “narrates” Haiti for Kidder, explaining what happens there, why it happens, and how it should be dealt with. His narrative includes 7 hour hikes to check-up on patients, the appalling prevalence of TB and other infectious diseases, and the daily struggles associated with running a first rate hospital in a third world country. In short, Farmer tells Kidder a story that shows why sick people in Haiti are important, and what we need to do about it.

Like Farmer narrating Haiti, Kidder narrates every aspect of Farmer’s life piece by piece: his history, his personality, his mission, his drive. The result is a supremely powerful book that allows us insight into a world that most of us have never experienced. For example, have you ever been worried that you might contract tuberculosis? Probably not. And if you spend almost no time worrying about contracting TB, you spend even less time worrying that you might die from it. Though in all likelihood, you probably don’t even know what TB is. Please don’t get me wrong; never having to worry about TB is in fact a very, very, good thing. Yet curing diseases that we quite easily shrug off as mostly obsolete and inconsequential is Farmer’s sole mission in life. More accurately, it is eliminating the obstacles that obstruct treatment of these seemingly simple diseases that is his problem.

In the book, Farmer explains how Boston hospitals have more than enough drugs, equipment, and manpower to eradicate TB. The problem is that there is no TB in Boston. Transferring drugs and equipment to treat TB, malaria, HIV, and AIDS to Haiti and other places that need it most are Farmer’s challenge; nothing else matters to him. He is interested in politics when it affects the health of the population, but is otherwise indifferent to who is in power. He does not want glory or recognition, unless it helps him get grants and funding. His Haitian hospital, mostly funded by an aging millionaire, has achieved results that rival most hospitals in the United States, without charging its patients a single penny. And yet, Farmer is not finished. Partners In Health has also started projects in Peru and Russia, spreading their innovative system of treating TB to those who need it most. The obstacles are numerous and varied, including transportation, patient care, dealing with local customs and beliefs, rhetoric, the World Health Organization (WHO), and most importantly, a lack of money.

So how is this book relevant to business? From an economics standpoint, the book brings up questions about the allocation of resources. Why do the places with the most demand receive the fewest supplies? To me, this is the absolute definition of market failure. Yet, in this case, market failure does not simply result in line-ups for gasoline, or a run on pork bellies. Instead, real people suffer and die needlessly. And what about business ethics? Part of the problem in Haiti is that drugs are too expensive. But these drugs are not expensive to produce: the medications and treatments have been around for decades. So logically, the revenue from TB drugs is mostly profit gained from those who can barely afford food to begin with. Figuring out a way to deal with this situation and solve the problems then becomes are main priority. So if you are still wondering what this book has to do with business, I would argue that this book has everything to do with business, and beyond.

In the end, I’ve kept this review relatively short because I have very little say about this book. Just this: please read it. It is fantastic in every way: important, well written, and moving. And if Farmer had time to interview for it with his busy schedule, you will undoubtedly have time to read it, no matter how busy you think you are.

The B Cubed Crew