Though getting into the US on an H1-B visa is getting tougher, professionals from India are exploring newer opportunities in Singapore. The island nation is considering recognising Indian degrees to draw upon professionals in areas as diverse as medical science, financial services, chartered accountancy, engineering and legal services.

Visa regulations and work permits for Indians would be made simpler to facilitate this process. Also the proposed comprehensive economic co-operation agreement (CECA) between Singapore and India is being finalised now and is expected to be signed once a new government takes over after the Lok Sabha elections.

The medical councils of the two countries are already carrying out negotiations related to recognition of medical degrees, he added. Similar consultations are on in the case of other areas such as legal services and accountancy as well.

Healthcare companies are braving the outsourcing backlash and looking at newer avenues in outsourcing of pathological blood samples for analysis and interpretation in India, while still showing their competitive advantage (same quality standards in diagnosis with a much quicker turnaround time) at nearly 10% of overseas costs.

For instance, while a thyroid profile blood test costs anywhere from $ 30 to $ 50 in the US, the same can be analysed by Indian companies for less than $ 5 per patient. These companies use the same quality of chemicals and processes for analysis of blood samples as are used in developed nations. Even the processing technology is the same. This is certainly another segment in the medical BPO sector where India is poised to show much growth.

Indian companies are looking at various streams of business, which need to conduct pathology tests on a regular basis and are looking for cost effective options. Apart from hospitals, insurance companies in countries like the US conduct pre-policy check-ups before selling a product. They are looking for much cheaper options. The other areas Indian companies are tapping relate to clinical research organisations that conduct various pathology tests on patients for new drug developments. Now, companies are also getting their facilities accredited by the College of American Pathology (CAP), the global standard for pathological governance.