Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has started controversy after referring to India as “a kind of laboratory to try things” during a podcast with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. While Gates intended to point out India’s progress in health, education, and its collaborations with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, his choice of words has sparked outrage among Indian audiences.

What did Bill Gates say?

Speaking on the podcast, Gates said, “India is an example of a country where there’s plenty of things that are difficult there—the health, nutrition, education is improving, and they are stable enough and generating their government revenue enough that it’s very likely that 20 years from now people will be dramatically better off. It’s kind of a laboratory to try things that then when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places.”

The backlash brought renewed attention to a 2009 clinical trial, funded by the Gates Foundation, which led to severe ethical violations. Critics, including a Scotland-based doctor known as "The Skin Doctor" on X, linked Gates' comment to the trial, which caused serious harm to tribal schoolgirls in India.

The 2009 clinical trial

In 2009, the Gates Foundation-sponsored NGO PATH (Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health) partnered with the Indian Council of Medical Research to test a cervical cancer vaccine on 14,000 tribal schoolgirls in Telangana and Gujarat. Seven deaths were reported shortly after the trial began, and many participants reported severe side effects.

While investigations into the cause of death found that infections and suicides were the reason for such deaths, lapses in ethics regarding the execution of the trial began to appear. The risk to the families was not known because consent forms were reportedly signed by the hostel wardens instead of the parents.

The experiments were done on the tribal populations that have minimum access to healthcare and education, and many criticize this as exploitation. It is often said that these types of initiatives are used to cloak experimental testing as public health campaigns to take advantage of the most vulnerable groups.

PATH has responded to the accusations by saying that the deaths are not connected to the vaccine. But the controversy has raised questions regarding foreign-funded NGOs using developing countries as testing grounds.

“Who knows how many Gates-funded NGOs are conducting similar trials in India and Africa? It’s disturbing how easily they access our governance and policies, while openly treating us as guinea pigs,” remarked “The Skin Doctor.”

The incident has brought back calls for stricter oversight of clinical trials and foreign-funded projects in India, ensuring that ethical standards and transparency apply to all public health initiatives.

While Gates’ comments were likely meant to underline India’s potential as a hub for innovation and progress, they have instead brought uncomfortable questions about the ethical dimensions of international collaborations to the forefront. As India continues to grow, maintaining a balance between progress and accountability remains crucial.