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MT India Digest
Moderated Discussion List
"Effective MT Forum"
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Published by:
MT India
www.MTIndia.org

Moderated by:
Amit Chatterjee, SM amit@...

..................................................
Jun 11, 2002 Digest #082
..................................................
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
---------------------------------------------
1) Professional Writing Award - 2002
---------------------------------------------
Results declared. For details see:
http://www.mtindia.org/awards.htm

---------------------------------------------
2) MT TIMES - quarterly print journal!
---------------------------------------------

The journal is out - await your copy

.....IN THIS DIGEST.....

=========FEATURED POST===========

-=The Blakes Go to India - Part 8=-

~Cheryl and Joe Blake
"We nodded a few times. Nothing was said in English.
We nodded
some more!"

===========CONTINUING============

-=Are we a bunch of losers?=-

~Rukmani Raghavan
"companies have understood that profits cannot and
will not come
within one, two, three or even five years"

====================================
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and with an existing work force of 40, is now
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Applicants should have atleast 1 years experience on
live files.

Rajat Singhania <rajat@...>
Vadodara

=========FEATURED POST===========

From: Cheryl Blake <blakemama2@...>
Subject: Part 8 - Where the DMV Learned the Art of
Bureaucracy

Continued from MTID #81...........

Where the DMV Learned the Art of Bureaucracy

We need residency permits, you say? Sorry, the small
print on the
visa was so small that we didn't see it. Okay, so
let's get 'em.
The ensuing adventure was, bar-none, the grandmother
of all DMV
like experiences.

Okay, a little background, here. Written in minuscule
print on the
bottom of our Indian visas reads a paragraph that
states that we
must register with the police department of the city
we'll be
residing in within 14 days of arrival. Unfortunately,
we didn't
find out about it until we'd been here approximately 6
weeks due
solely to a travel agents request when booking plane
tickets.
Gotta start reading the fine print, although I'm not
so sure it
wouldn't have taken at least that long to obtain them
if we'd begun
on time.

We'd still be waiting for the blasted things if we
weren't guided
through the process by Deepak. We thank him publicly.
We were in
bureaucratic purgatory. I've never seen so many steps
involved for
such a relatively simple thing. So, you think the DMV
has made you
jump through hoops? Got a Civil Service job? You
haven't
experienced the Bangalore Police Department. Sit
tight and hang
on.

The Bangalore Police Department grounds look like a
military
installation. In the center of the compound on the
main road was a
young sentry. He was dressed in what must be the
equivalent of
"dress blues". He was surely decked out in the most
spectacular
uniform I've ever seen. His headgear sported a
brush-like fan of
blended primary colors. He remained at attention. He
did not
move, except to salute (a different salute, but quite
formal and
respectful) passing dignitaries. There was a red
carpet on the
road. We'll have to go back and ask if we can
photograph him. The
entire area is shaded by the most beautiful trees that
tower over
everything. Hanging from nearly every branch, in huge
multitudes,
are very large bats at rest. Lots and lots of
sleeping bats.
Hoping that umbrellas were unnecesary we walked over
to the office
that handles the residency permits. Airline gate and
train
platform luck holding true, it was located at the
farthest place it
could have been from the parking space.

We go to an office and see a man in a uniform. I know
that look.
I've seen it in the eyes of a clerk at the DMV. I've
also seen it
in the eyes of my supervisor at the Marine Base.drunk
with power.
My life is in this person's hands, and he knows it.
In the room is
a woman in tears, begging for some exception to the
rules for
admission to Bangalore. We're next. This is
beginning to feel
weird. He turns his gaze to us. Hear the "Jaws"
theme in the
distance? He gives a cursory glance towards our
paperwork and then
proceeds to rip his assistant a new one. He didn't
create the
files properly. I have a feeling this is not going to
be as easy
as I first though. He dismissed his shamefaced
assistant and
turned his gaze to us. The kids are looking nervous.
I'm nervous.
It's hot. He told us that we needed to do a few
things before we
got started. A few things.lets define the word few.

First, we've got to document our entry into India,
flight
information and dates. That part's easy. Then, we've
got to fill
out some more forms, relatively easy.just don't forget
to put the
date in this format.dd/mm/yy - no mm/dd/yy here. I
messed up every
time I had to put the date. The white-out lived at
the table while
I filled out this paperwork. Thank heaven there were
no carbons.
Now comes the exercise.. Make 5 copies of your
passport and visa,
5 copies of this form, 8 copies of these photographs,
5 copies of
this other form, but only 3 for each child, all
cryptically written
on the back of the one form that we lost. Then, write
a letter to
the Commissioner in very formal language, explaining
precisely why
the delay in making the application. Do this for each
application,
2 copies please. Oh, the adults have to show a
recent HIV test.
Funny no one at the Indian Embassy had mentioned that
requirement.
If you don't have one, you get to go to a government
hospital and
have the test taken there. First you need to pick up
the kit from
the pharmacy. We didn't want to go to the government
hospital,
having heard not too nice things about places like
this.but we don'
t have much to say about that. We want to choose the
hospital we
get to go to. No way. Our hospital or no residency
permit.
Yassah.

The next thing we have to do is find THE GUY.the only
guy that can
process this stuff. We went there once.not there.
Went there
twice.not there. Three times a charm? Arrangements
were made
through Deepak, who knew someone, who knew someone.

Joe adds this missing piece: Deepak fortunately
believed that a
visit with an old school chum of his who is the
Assistant
Commissioner of Police would clarify and expedite this
process. I
(Joe) was all for anything that would speed things up.
We went back
the next day, but to no avail, Assist. Commissioner
Reddy was not
available. No problem, we made an appointment and
went back a
third time.

The protocol involved with getting admission to the
office was
very formal. After standing and sitting around
outside of his
office for a short time, we were allowed entry. I
imagine it was
not unlike having an audience with the Pope. An
assistant stood at
the ready outside the door in anticipation of
admitting approved
visitors. The Assistant Chief would push a buzzer
under his desk
and the Assistant to the Assistant Chief would just
about jump out
of his skin and leap through the door seemingly in an
attempt to
land on the floor at attention in front of
Commissioner Reddy's
desk before the Commissioner's hand could leave the
button.

Our business was stated and we were allowed entry. We
sat silently
as our paperwork was handed from the Application clerk
to the
Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner. He looked it
over briefly
and talked with Deepak like an old friend he was then
asked the
clerk what was needed to complete our application.
The HIV test?
Oh no, that is only necessary if you are going to be
here for 12
consecutive months or longer. Strange, a couple of
days ago that
was mandatory. As we are planning a trip home
sometime this year,
it won't be necessary.

I of course had brought my CHP flat badge so I could
establish some
common ground with the Commissioner and share a tale
or two. He
was quite adamant about his plan to straighten out the
traffic
situation here in Bangalore. Implementation has
already begun
with a two-year time frame to completely change the
driving habits
of the local citizenry. Fighting off convulsions of
incredulity,
I politely observed that he had his work cut out for
him.

We then returned to the office of bureaucrat number
two in order to
complete what could be completed at this time. We
left with a
clear understanding to return with multitudes of
passport photos
and completed forms and no need for an HIV test. We
were
encouraged that the end of the process was in sight.

Our next appointment (as close as you can call an
appointment here)
was for a Saturday morning. We arrived on time. Same
place as
before. Where's the guy? Oh, he's not here. We had
an
appointment for today, we say. Civil servant says,
for today?
Saturday? We nod. Today is the second Saturday, a
holiday.
Holiday? What holiday? Second Saturday holiday.
Apparently after
a few tries, he finally got the point across to us
that every
second Saturday of every month is a day off, aka
"holiday". But we
had an appointment. Oh well, better luck next time.

As we were leaving, we caught the eye of another
clerk-type. The
old school chum had left word with someone after all.
We're gonna
get it done! But first, we need to organize the
paperwork. A
civil servant in a saree starts to give us some
trouble about the
untimely nature of our application, but a look from
the co-worker
who knew we were coming squelches that notion. Look,
we have 4
letters explaining our lateness. She was the epitome
of petty
bureaucracy. She demands to know where the HIV
certificate is. We
don't need one. Yes you do. No, we don't. She made
several
attempts at denying our application, from us not
having enough
photographs to having too many photographs. We
foolishly neglected
to cut our photographs into individual single photos
and left them
still on the contact sheet. Just about tilted the
whole dang
machine! We painstakingly folded and creased the
photos and tore
them apart. Whew! For lack of a pair of scissors,
the whole thing
could have been rejected.

After "ahem-ing" a few more times, she admitted defeat
and put her
little stamp of approval on it. One more hoop jumped
through
successfully. She announced, "You must now be
presented to the
Deputy Commissioner. He will decide if he wants to
see you. If he
wants to see you, you will be presented to him. If he
does not
want to see you, we'll process your papers. You wait
here. She
vanished. She came back a while later and said the
Deputy
Commissioner was in a meeting, but that we must still
wait. Almost
2 hours passed. She rustled into our waiting area and
motioned
that we should go to the Deputy Commissioner's office.
Guess he
wanted to inspect us personally.

So, we trot back to the Assistant Deputy Director's
office, where
the Deputy Assistant Deputy Director is anticipating
his superior's
every move. A little bell rang. We quietly filed
into the man's
office. I was afraid I might have to curtsy, but I
don't remember
how. No curtsy necessary, he looked Joe and I in the
eye and then
promptly ignored and dismissed us. We waited 2 hours
for the man
to barely look at us, though he did inspect each of
the approx. 8
stamps and signatures adorning the piece of brown
paper serving as
a folder for our papers.

Home stretch.only one more thing to do, right? We
were ushered
into another office. We stood in the back of the
room. They
crammed every person who put their hands on our papers
into that
room. Saree lady, and 4 other civil servant types.
We nodded a
few times. Nothing was said in English. We nodded
some more. The
man warmed up his signature at least 3 times on each
page, top,
bottom and sideways. Looks like we're really legal.
It only took
about five more minutes and we left with the papers in
our hands.
What an experience!

Reminds me of the time at the DMV that, well, never
mind.

........to be continued.

(c) Cheryl and Joe Blake
39685 Mountain View Road
P.O. Box 205
Yermo, CA 92398-0205

Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com

===============CONTINUING===================

From: rukmani raghavan <ruk24@...>
Subject: The Medical Transcription scene in India

Hi all!

The Medical Transcription scene in India, I believe,
is now getting
a new lease of life. What commenced here in the 1990s
as a motley
group of inexperienced, but ambitious and often
unscrupulous,
self-styled entrepreneurs and consultants, (barring
the exceptions,
of course) is now emerging as a healthy, competitive
industry.
After the successful elimination of most of the bogus
units, the MT
industry is all geared to perform better. There are
still some
victims whose unhappy voices can be heard on the
message boards,
but I hope they will die down, once the MT industry
starts
functioning in right earnest, with its refurbished
image and in its
new avtaar. This MT 'experiment' has several useful
lessons for
those who failed in their venture and for those who
wish to start
anew. I have endeavored to list them below, briefly,
with the
earnest hope that it will act as a check-list for the
uninitiated.
It will also be a 'caveat emptor' of sorts, ensuring
that they too
do not become victims like many of

1) When setting up a new business venture, a company
or an
entrepreneur needs to do a thorough research on the
product or
service that he/she intends to offer. An intensive and
extensive
study of all that goes into ensuring a qualitatively
superior
product/service, is a must. A cursory study will not
suffice - it
has to be an in-depth one, covering every aspect of
the new
business. It is evident, that a few million rupees,
some hundred
computers and several thousand sq.ft. of posh office
space, does
not a business, make. In the early stages of the
Medical
transcription industry in India, there was much chaos,
little
knowledge and a lot of avarice. We saw the disastrous
consequences
of this short sighted approach to making a fast buck.

2) A proper 'employee policy' has to be worked out
before
commencing operations. It is necessary to bear in
mind that
employees are the backbone of an organization. No
amount of
financial capital and computers can create an enduring
business
model, without the backing of an efficient and
committed work
force. We also witnessed what a poor wage structure
can do to the
morale of employees. Many transcriptionists who were
promised
fabulous salaries and broad avenues for promotion,
quit, when they
found employers did not keep their word.

3) Excessive dependence on self-styled consultants,
whose only
purpose was to make a quick killing, was yet another
cause for many
units to close down. A sterling lesson to be learned
here is that
either one relies on one's own resources or one does a
proper
'research' before hiring a good consultant. When a
consultant
claims that he has set up six units, it is necessary
to visit those
units and physically verify his statements. Most
companies took
these so-called consultants on their word and later
realized their
mistake. These "consultants" were also instrumental in
painting a
poor image of India and thereby driving away many
American clients
who were eager to do business here.

4) Most institutes that set out to train had the
vaguest idea of
Medical Transcription. Training is not only essential,
but has to
be continuing. Companies devised abridged training
programs, with
no refresher courses, but with the expectation of
excellent
performance from their transcriptionists. Again,
training implies a
rigorous, carefully planned program, keeping in mind
the specific
requirements of Indian MTs, laying special emphasis on
American
English, spelling, grammar and idiomatic expressions.
In actuality,
however, training was a poor mix of medical
terminology, a small
dose of English grammar and typing tests for enhancing
keyboard
skills. Some didn't even include American English
lessons in their
program. The grading system was poorly designed.
Assessing student
performance on the high marks they procured in their
tests, without
stress being laid on actual transcription of different
kinds of
medical reports, was a grave error that showed up much
later in
their poor performance. To my

5) While garnering the necessary skills and building
infrastructure, companies should have started making
contacts with
American companies for work. The two activities had to
run
concurrently, so that by the time the company was
ready to take up
work they would have identified their client/s.
Provision for
adequate financial reserves were/are necessary, since
clients would
certainly insist on free trials, and earnings could
not be
expected, until some measure of client-confidence was
built up..
Using Indian intermediaries without proven credentials
was yet
another blunder that could have been and should be
avoided.

6) Another grave error was the mistaken assumption
that profits
would simply flow in within a year of commencing
operations, and
then they would sort out "other" problems like
employee incentives,
wage increases, better facilities for staff, whether
in ergonomics
or air-conditioning, or leave packages. It is only
now, that
companies have understood that profits cannot and will
not come
within one, two, three or even five years, and there
has to be some
cushioning in the shape of extra finance to sustain
the
organization until the break-even period, which would
later lead to
profit.

I think the writing on the wall is clear - if only
people will
take the time to look at it. No half-hearted measures
or half-baked
knowledge can make Medical transcription work the way
it really
should. It needs capital, infrastructure, excellent
training
program, qualified manpower, marketing skills and the
sustained
efforts of owners and companies, along with medical
transcriptionists, editors and managers, to create a
viable unit.
Above all, a business needs a stated mission and a
belief in the
ethical conduct of its affairs. If one is building
one's business
on a "quick profit" philosophy then, I am afraid,
neither will the
profits come quickly nor can the business succeed

Rukmani Raghavan

Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com

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