Let's follow 'Obama Bounce'! Date:   Tuesday , March 30, 2010 William Shakespeare once said, 'Action is eloquence' and Barack Obama is proving it just right by undermining Michael Moore's vision of U.S as a country where big business ruthlessly exploits the downtrodden poor. Elected as the President in 2008, with the hope for a change, he duly made healthcare his top domestic priority. None of his contenders in their wildest dreams could have ever imagined that he would make history with his healthcare reform— a social reform that had been eluding generations of Presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton. Obama’s $871 billion healthcare reform is expected to change the lives of 32 million poor and emigrant Americans. Kudos to him, for it would not have been possible without his disciplined approach and his continuous fight. While America celebrates, it’s also a time for Indian IT and BPO companies to rejoice as well. Of the $150 billion allocated to various healthcare plans,$20 billion has been set apart for IT alone, mostly to establish Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for all Americans by 2014. This is bound to open up a vast opportunity for Indian IT services firms like Infosys, Wipro, TCS to plunge into the healthcare domain. It is also the right time for SMEs and start-ups to time test and prepare their products for this new emerging market. But in order to maximize the opportunity these players need to be fast on their heels to establish a reputation for themselves in the fast evolving space and establish partnerships as Indian companies do not have much proven track record in healthcare. Perhaps it is time that Indian entrepreneurs learn from Obama, a disciplined continuous approach to achieve the goals and remember that customer is the key. Infact it would help.....Not only to win over the long battles, but also to create a strong foothold for Indian IT companies in U.S. in the healthcare sector — that is bound to stay evergreen and resilient, come as many recessions in the years ahead. Please do share your thoughts with us. Christo Jacob Managing Editor editor@siliconindia.com