The success story of India's booming outsourcing industry may soon be eclipsed by critical problems plaguing the BPO space that include heart disease, depression, sleep disorders, and family discord, warn industry experts and doctors.

The BPO industry employs over 1.6 million young- men and women in the country. These 20- and 30- somethings rake-in more moolah than their contemporaries in other professions, but their sedentary lifestyles, coupled with long hours and stressful working conditions make them more vulnerable than others to heart disease, digestive problems, sleep disorders, weight gain, depression and other psychological disorders.

IDC and Dataquest magazine recently conducted a survey of 1,749 employees across 19 outsourcing companies, and they found that nearly 32 percent of employees complained of sleep disorders; 25 percent had digestive problems; and 20 percent suffered eyesight problems. What starts-off as sleep- and digestive- disorders more often than not balloons into major problems such as Hypertension, Diabetes, and heart disease, according to a majority of doctors.

A study by New Delhi-based 'Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations' estimates that two years back, heart disease, strokes, and Diabetes (now diagnosed as a lifestyle disease) cost the country nearly $9 billion in terms of lost productivity. The study expects the losses to grow to a staggering $200 billion over the next decade -- in the absence of corrective action. And, the outsourcing industry is expected to be hit the hardest.

So much so that at a public meeting last month, Union Minister for Health, Anbumani Ramadoss, said he wants to enforce a special health policy for employees in the information technology (IT) industry. The minister said that IT employees often work very hard, and party even harder, being prone to excessive smoking and drinking. He expressed concern over the possibility of these young people burning-out rather too soon.

While the industry lashed out at the minister's allegation, saying it had been unfairly singled-out for problems that also exist in other professions, the outsourcing industry in particular is beginning to sit-up and take notice of the various problems affecting it.

The National Association of Software Services Companies (NASSCOM), which is the main trade body of the outsourcing industry, said that many of its member firms are already providing employees with facilities such as health advice, gyms, and free check-ups.

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