MT India Newsletter - http://www.MTIndia.info/

Oct 07, 2006
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The `Bandh' Darwaza...

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Dear Friends,

Darwaza, to the uninitiated, means doors. Bandh, originally meaning
'closed', is a form of protest used by political activists in India.
During a bandh, a large chunk of a community declares a general
closure,
usually lasting one day. While generally it means the closing down
of
markets, offices, schools and transport - it is a highly disruptive
activity whose sole aim is to bring public life and commercial
activity
to a standstill.

What is more discerning now is that the elected governments in
power,
actively or tacitly extend support to such calls. Factually, these
are
blatant infringements and denial of citizen's rights - they disrupt
everyday life - because of fear of harm to one's life and property.
The Supreme Court of India has banned bandhs, but we see no end to
them.

Last Wednesday, Bangalore was held to ransom for some petty border
dispute.
The advice from the police was not to drive out-of-state vehicles!
This
Monday, Kolkata will grind to a standstill - bandhs being more of a
norm
here. There is already a Bharat Bandh called for 14th Dec - I am
sure there
will be some enterprising parties who will think of some other
issues to
call a bandh before then...

In this mayhem, IT/BPO service providers are at a loss to explain to
their
clients a phenomena which cannot be found in the Merriam Webster's'
or the
Oxford dictationaries. Admiral J G Nadkarni (retired) in
the "Scourge of the
'bandh'" rightly says that the entire proclamation and execution of
a bandh
has now become standard operating procedure. A political party,
normally the
opposition, calls for a bandh. They proclaim that the bandh will be
entirely
voluntary and peaceful. The state government announces that they
will not
allow any lawlessness. On the day of the bandh, shopkeepers
automatically
down shutters. A feeble attempt is made to run local trains and
buses, but
after a few incidents of stone throwing, they are promptly
cancelled. There
is a holiday atmosphere. Children pour out on to the streets and
play cricket.
By evening, the political party claims complete success: the bandh
was total.
The state government also claims credit: the bandh was peaceful.
Everyone is
happy until the next bandh.

While India will probably move ahead at its own pace, the SMEs in
the outsourcing
services sector need to seriously consider that such frequent
incidents might not
close the door of opportunity for us - and lobby towards how to
circumvent the same...

It is ultimately left to the citizens themselves to impress upon
political parties
and other organizations that bandhs are disruptive, highly
unpopular, and serve no
purpose beyond disrupting normal life and future economic prospects.

Yeh darwaza bandh naa ho!! [Let this door (of opportunity) not
close!]

Cheers!

Dr Amit Chatterjee, SM
Strategist / Founder ~ mailto:amit@...
MT India ~ www.mtindia.org
"The Community of MT Professionals"

"It takes years to become an overnight success! Inch by inch, it's
a cinch."

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NEWS AND VIEWS :
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1) MedQuist strarts trials in the UK: work coming to New
Zealand & India

Bedford Hospital is preparing to cut its secretarial and
administrative staff by almost a third. Around 60 medical
secretaries have been informed their jobs are at risk with
a proposal to cut their numbers by 22.

The pilot for this service is being conducted by US company
Medquist which will farm work out to both New Zealand and India.
Unison spokesman John Toomey said: "Quite apart from the fact
that this is a slap in the face for the loyal staff of Bedford
Hospital who are being dumped only for their jobs to be farmed
out overseas, one of the main concerns for us is patient
confidentiality.

A hospital spokesman said: "The service is completely secure
in that no patient information is shown on the letters (only
a hospital reference) and all the typists, whether they are based
in New Zealand or India, are security checked and fully trained
in the appropriate medical specialty."

http://www.mk-news.co.uk/news/bedford/2006/oct/8/hospital%20letters%
20typed%20down%20under.lpf

2) Fast refunds woo BPOs to service tax counters

BPOs are rushing to obtain service tax registrations even though
they are exempt from paying the levy on services rendered to their
foreign clients.

The speed and ease of getting cash refunds on taxes paid on inputs
such as leased circuit services, banking services and temporary
man-power services has led to a spurt in the registration over the
last few months.

Registrations have risen because credit provisions have been
modified
to enable service providers to claim refunds on exported services.
Medical transcription centres and call centres were, in fact, out of
the service tax net till last year. The exemption was withdrawn this
fiscal. Under the export of services rules, services rendered to
offshore clients would continue to be exempt from the levy. Service
tax would be charged only if the service is rendered within the
country
or if these centres are servicing their Indian clients.

Under the tax credit provisions, these companies would also be
entitled
to claim a credit on the tax paid on inputs that go into providing
the
service. The other option is to claim cash refunds. Typically, these
companies use inputs such as leased circuit services, telephone
services,
banking and financial services, and temporary man-power services.

The providers of these services — telephone companies, banks,
manpower
recruitment agencies — in turn charge service tax. Credit or refund
will
be given only if the company has a service tax registration.

For the government, cash refunds is a notional loss in revenue
because
it is follows the principle that exports should be completely free
of
taxes. This means exporters of both services and goods should be
relieved
of incidence of any taxes. Otherwise, exports will not be
competitive.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2023480.cms

3) Medical transcription services to be launched in Bahrain

Mena Business Services (MBS) a provider of outsourcing customer care
solutions, is to open its newest customer contact centre, medical
transcription services and training facilities in Bahrain.

Alongside the customer contact centre, MBS will jointly operate a
medical
transcription services unit, consisting of 60 seats. "MBS has a
strategic
partnership with a global medical transcription outsourcing company
and
throughout this partnership we will offer services to a number of
medical
facilities in Saudi Arabia and the US," said Mr Al Hashmi.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?
Article=158069&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=29202

4) Is Medical Transcription Certification Necessary?

Becoming a certified medical transcriptionist is really a personal
choice.
At present, there is no requirement for MTs to become certified.

Medical transcription certification is a personal choice -
certification
gives you the opportunity to prove your skills as an MT, not being
certified does not take away from them.

I have never run across a physician or account manager who has asked
me whether I am certified or not. They are merely interested that I
can
efficiently complete the work, follow all the privacy regulations
and charge them a reasonable rate.

I don't know of any MTs who have lacked opportunities due to not
being
certified either. Again, the choice is a personal one and for some it
is a great sense of personal achievement.

http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=092106-medical-transcriptionist-
training-is-certification-needed.htm

5) DTS

Board members asked for an update on DTS' performance.

"It all looks legit," Garringer said. "It doesn't look like there is
any hocus
pocus." CDOD board president Valerie Murrill defended DTS. She was
responding to
recent complaints voiced by some employees.

"It's important that we leave them alone and let them their job,"
she said. "I've
never seen a company under siege like this company. I'm personally
embarrassed about
the negativity."

http://www.currentargus.com/ci_4454812
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The MTIndia Team
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