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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
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Feb 20, 2001 Digest #062
.................................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ===========NEW===================== -=MT in India - a perspective!=- ~Rukmani Raghavan
"there is an overwhelming dislike, disregard, fear and a general
feeling of contempt for the Indian MTs' work" ~A.Jabbar
"could not invest on human beings because the right species were
not available" ===========CONTINUING============ -=MT training=- ~Parvathy George
"is there anything, any authority, in the offing to regulate the MT
business, especially the training area? " ~Uma S Kumar
"We tried to fight for our rights but failed miserably, that too
after paying our lawyer 5000 rupees" ~Jiv Raj Nair
"I was assured that on successful completion of the course they
will absorb me in their production department, but they placed me
as a training executive in one of their franchisee division. ========== BILLBOARD ============= -=MT jobs from home=- ~Dr. K. Jamanadas
~Samshath Mohideen ===========NEW===================== From: Rukmani Raghavan <
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Subject: MT - An analysis Hi Amit and all! There are some very important and interesting points that come to
the fore when MT is being discussed - especially in the context of
MT work that's being done in India. As a medical
transcriptionist/proofreader all my observations are based on my
own experiences and that of Indian MTs and companies I have been
working for or dealing with. For the sake of convenient reading I'd like to discuss the American
MTs' views, thoughts and fears relating to the Indian MT scene and
then talk about MT as it is unfolding here in India: 1) From the many hours I spend on the net at the message board,
looking up archives and reading messages that come to me from
American MTs, one fact seems to emerge clearly - there is an
overwhelming dislike, disregard, fear (of losing their jobs to
Indian MTs, reduction in wages or not getting hired at all ) and a
general feeling of contempt for the Indian MTs' work. The only
vocal support comes from Mary M and a couple of others (heartening
indeed and thank you for it!)
2) An abysmal lack and in many cases total ignorance of modern
India, its people, the way we are surging ahead in many areas of
business activity (all over globe)with an antiquated notion that
women are not a part of the workforce whether in the MT line or any
other (how terribly wrong!)
3) A society (maybe smug in the knowledge that it is a super power)
is ill-informed about other countries and cultures. I find many
postings and emails that come to me from American MTs reflecting
this. Often they talk of "patriotism" ( no place for it in the
topic under discussion!) "I am a proud American" (so is every
Indian about his/her country" - irrelevant!) "Indian MTs can never
be as good as American MTs"(unmitigated arrogance) "get out of my
face" (grossly insulting) and other derogatory remarks which I do
not wish to reproduce here, since my intention is not to point an
accusing finger at American MT professionals or Americans. On the
contrary I admire the US for many things and am constantly holding
it as a role model for all of us here in this line of work. The
purpose here is to project India with its good and bad points and
attempt to bridge the knowledge gap that is leading to unnecessary
mudslinging.
4) Examples of enough bloopers committed by US MTs, as evidenced
in the postings on the same subject. One even talks of glaring
mistakes in actual Medical Charts in a US hospital!.
5) Some very helpful, positively unbiased, sensible and clear
thinking American professionals who have been extremely kind and
prompt in answering my many queries. Let's turn to the Indian MT scene: 1) Medical Transcription made its entry into India with
Healthscribe USA inc. setting up shop as Healthscribe India inc.,
in Bangalore, Southern India, in 1994. There are over 350 trained
MTs here and am sure are doing an excellent job, having gone
through a well-structured training program.
2) A mushrooming of MT companies/training institutes with little or
no knowledge about MT but wanting to get into the business - many
unscrupulous and some genuine.
3) With very few well-organized training programs, quality is not
always of the highest order, with many exceptions though.
4) There is a 50:50 ratio of men and women in Medical Transcription
here in India. Sometimes, more of women in certain cities.
Incidentally, for all those Americans who are unaware of the fact
that India's female population has made tremendous progress (in the
last 50 years or so, since British rule ended in India) - there are
women in almost all walks of life - medicine, law, government,
army, navy, airforce, the police force, banks, business- the list
is endless. Most of the poor domestic help in India today send
their children to schools and many of them do exceedingly well in
their chosen fields.
5) Yes, unfortunately corruption is rampant, as in other parts of
the world - esp. the developing countries, with fly-by-night
operators (in MT or other businesses) having a field day. The
all-consuming desire to make a quick buck, is in my opinion, one of
the chief causes of the stunted growth of MT business in India.
Most of them want their profits from day one and are willing to cut
corners.
6) Wages for MTs are mainly paid as a fixed sum per month -
anything
between $45-$130 per month (miserable even by Indian standards!). I
am aware that a US MT is paid anything between $13-$18 an hour
(statistics from an MT professional in the US)
7) A lot of "get-rich-quick businessmen" giving India a bad name.
8) Tremendous potential here in India. As an American MT
professional put it, most Indians are willing to "absorb knowledge
like a sponge". And now for some suggestions/solutions to end this "free for all"
in the MT business here: 1) There should be clear-cut guidelines from the US (AAMT) on the
training of MTs and strict parameters for quality laid down, with
adherence to some kind of rules/law that would ensure that a whole
new class of good MT companies/institutes are on the playing
field.
2) A minimum six month program with special emphasis on listening
to sample doctor dictations rather than concentrating on numbers
and percentages in the theoretical part of the program.
3) Constant refresher courses to update MTs on what's new in MT and
what's happening in the US esp. that which affects or is applicable
to the MT industry.
4) A willingness to work as a team and not have business owners
treating MT business as their personal fiefdoms and MTs as their
slaves.
5) English as taught and spoken in India, as I have noticed and as
many American MTs/consultants have pointed out, is the single most
inhibiting factor in producing quality transcription.Therefore,
this has to receive special attention in the training p As a footnote, I'd like to say that the prognosis for the MT
industry in India is bad, if self-styled consultants/businessmen
continue to treat MT business as another money spinner. As one
american consultant wrote to me saying " If they (Indian companies)
think that MT is all about getting a lot of computers and a bunch
of people in one room and make money, they are sadly mistaken." If we lose MT as a wonderful career option and a good business
opportunity, we have only these unsavory companies/institutes to
thank for. Rukmani Raghavan Comment?
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++++ new post - same topic ++++ From: A.Jabbar <
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Subject: MT Business Dear Major Chatterjee & MTIDers! MT to me is a dog-eat-dog business. I started one investing hugely
on machines and premises. I could not invest on human beings
because the right species were not available. In the end, I said
good-bye to both my time and money. Good riddance of bad rubbish.
It has been wound up. I did enjoy MTIndia digest for over eight months. Now it is no
longer relevant to me. Could you kindly remove my name from the
list. Best Regards.
A.Jabbar Comment?
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================CONTINUING======================= From: Parvathy George <
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Subject: MT training Dear Amit and MTIDers, My first HELLO to you all! I am a fairly new subscriber to MTID and
have received about 10 issues. I find the digest quite interesting
and information-providing on the MT scene in India. Since every one
agrees that the scene is not quite healthy, let me get to other
topics. I am an MT trying to find job in this part (Madurai, Tamilnadu) and
so far there is no one doing production here. It is almost a year
since I finished training and the loss of experience in not doing
transcription is weighing my mind a lot. I just love transcription. Okay, to the first thing on my mind: Why is there a rigid 12-hour
or 24-hour turnaround for every type of report? Is it possible to
prioritize the reports according to the time they have to be back?
If that could be done wouldn't it be possible to buy time
within the parameters and demands of the job? Secondly, and this is connected to the first, if the jobs could be
prioritized, then would it not be possible to allot the job with
most turn around time to the least experienced MT, so that he/she
is not racing against time and concentrate on the job for a
100% accuracy and in the process learn the job well? Thirdly, why is there hesitation on the part of employers to make
the job home-based? If this is encouraged, the employers need to
spend less on infrastructure and overheads. Is there much problem
with transfer of files? Can't FTP be used for transfers? I, for
one, would love to do the job from home. Lastly, is there anything, any authority, in the offing to regulate
the MT business, especially the training area? A lot of unnecessary
expenditure and hopes could be scotched, benefiting both the MT
business and the aspiring MT. Can at least an association be formed
which will formulate guidelines for training and production. I feel
information on prerequisites to become an MT and the role of
'inherent talent' especially with regard to English language can be
effectively stressed by such an association. What is the position on CMT tests being held outside of the US? Regards,
Parvathy Comment?
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++++ new post - same topic ++++ From: S. Kumar Uma <
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Subject: Grievance of an MT Dear Sir, I underwent 6 months of MT training along with 39 other students.
But by the end of the six months, there were just 25 students left
and out of whom 12 students have gone into production and the
others have been sent out, including me, saying that we are not
upto the mark. All the 40 of us payed training fees of 15,000 each
to the concerned company, Capricorn Dot Com. The final test
circular was issued to all of us and wherein they stated that if we
do not achieve 90% and above accuracy, we shall not be selected and
this condition applied to one and all. But finally, only 12 of
them got selected and we were told that we would be given
certificates which we refused as it does not have much of value.
We have been cheated by the company. The training fees was
collected which was stated to be refundable. Now we stand nowhere
having lost our money and peace of mind. With the kind of training
we have got we do not stand a chance anywhere i.e the quality!
We were not given the agreement immediately after paying the
amount. The agreement was given after 3 months and we were asked
to sign under pressure as we were given a few minutes. We were not
even allowed to take it home. There were no revenue stamps on any
of the receipts of payment. There was no date on the agreement
also. Sir, I wish you will make this grievance of ours public. We tried
to fight for our rights but failed miserably that too after paying
our lawyer 5000 rupees, which was another loss for us. They
possessed money, power. Sir, please tell us, is there no such thing as justice. We are
students who have lost faith in everyone and everything. Our last
ray of hope is this internet website which I am sure will help us
in voicing our true feelings. Thanking you,
Yours sincerly,
Uma S Kumar. Comment?
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++++ new post - same topic ++++ From: Jiv Raj Nair <
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Subject: Request for advice. Dear Amit and MTIDers! Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Jiv Raj Nair, and I have
successfully completed a medical transcription course from Stesalit
Infotech Limited, Calcutta. When I had enrolled for the course I was assured that on successful
completion of the course they will absorb me in their production
department but on successful completion of the course, i.e., even
after giving an output of 350 lines with an accuracy level of above
92% they placed me as a training executive in one of their
franchisee division at Garia. Since I was interested in production I refused to take up the job.
Now I am employed in a MT company based in Salt Lake, Calcutta, but
here also I am frustrated since live production is still a distant
dream which may or may not materialize. In view of the above some of my batch mates including myself is
seriously thinking about opening of a production unit albeit on a
very small scale. Presently we are not in a situation or position
to go in for massive investments. We have access to an ISDN line and have about five PC's at our
disposal. We also have the reference materials both in soft and
hard copy form. Sir, what I am asking from you is your advice on how to go about
organizing ourselves and get success in our endeavor. Also your
valuable leads to people who are in a situation to help us would be
very gratefully accepted. I am looking in the right earnest for a
reply from your end with your invaluable advice. With warm regards, Yours truly, Jiv Raj Nair.
Calcutta, India Comment?
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================= BILLBOARD =================== From: Dr. K. Jamanadas <
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Subject: Business of MT Dear Dr. Amit,
I am a prematurely retired Surgeon, FRCS from England. This was
due to diabetes. Now for last few years I am running a Computer
Institute, I have six computers, three are Pentiums. I have
Internet connection. I am good in English and good in medicine terminology. I shall be
thankful if you can guide me how to establish a MT business at my
own premises in Chandrapur on a small scale. What are the
additional hardware requirements, personnel requirements and whom
to contact for getting business. Thanks!
Dr. K. Jamanadas Comment?
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++++ new post - different topic ++++ From: Samshath Mohideen <
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Subject: MT in Abu Dhabi Dear Amit, I am a home maker living in Abu Dhabi. I had been working in
administrative and accounting fields for nearly 10 yrs in this
region. Due to family needs, I had to quit my job 3 yrs ago. Now
things are settled at home and I want to take up a career. I have
a pc, internet connection, good typing speed, good command of the
english language, flair for learning anything new and undying
confidence. I do not find any MT company here. I firmly believe
that this place has good potential for that business. So, I feel
that someone interested can start one here and I can manage the
show. Please post this in your message board and let anyone who is
seriously interested can contact me. Regards.
Samshath Comment?
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