SMA Constitution
 

(Incorporating amendments adopted at the 47^th SMA Annual General Meeting and approved by the Registrar of Societies.)
 

Article I

1.         NAME

The name of the Association shall be the 'SINGAPORE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION', hereinafter referred to as ‘The Association'.

2.         MOTTO

The motto of the Association shall be, 'Jasa Utama' (‘Service before Self').

3.   EMBLEM

The emblem of the Association shall be the outline of Singapore over which shall be imposed a conventional staff of Aesculapius the whole being encircled by the words ‘SINGAPORE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION'.

Article II
OBJECTS & POWERS

         i.            To promote the medical and allied sciences in Singapore.

       ii.            To maintain the honour and interests of the medical profession.

      iii.            To foster and preserve the unity and aim of purpose of the medical profession as a whole.

      iv.            To voice its opinion, and to acquaint the Government and other bodies with the policy and attitude of the profession.

        v.            To arrange and hold periodical meetings of the members of the Association for scientific and social purposes.

      vi.            To support a high standard of medical ethics and conduct.

     vii.            To promote social, cultural and professional activities among members of the Association.

   viii.            To enlighten and direct public opinion on problems of health in Singapore.

     ix.            To publish papers, journals and other materials in furtherance of the above objects.

       x.            To acquire by purchase, lease or otherwise, land, buildings, tenements or hereditaments and any movable or immovable properties for any of the objects of the Association.

     xi.            To construct, maintain and alter any houses, buildings or works for the objects of the Association.

    xii.            To sell, manage, lease, mortgage, dispose of or otherwise deal with all or any part of the property of the Association.

  xiii.            To borrow and raise money and to invest any monies of the Association not immediately required for any of its objects in such manner as the Association may from time to time think fit.

   xiv.            To collect or otherwise acquire sums of money for charitable purposes and to establish and maintain a Trust Fund for the said charitable purposes.

    xv.            To incorporate a limited company to carry out commercial activities and to hold property. (Amended 1999)

  Article III
MEMBERSHIP

The Association shall consist of Honorary, Ordinary, Life, Spouse, Overseas and Associate Members.

         i.      Ordinary Membership shall be open to every medical practitioner registered or provisionally registered in the Register of the Medical Council of Singapore.

       ii.            Life Membership may be granted to:

a.     Ordinary Members who have been in continuous membership for at least five years, who have reached the age of 55 years and who have retired from active professional practice in Singapore; &

b.     Ordinary Members who have been in continuous membership for at least twenty years, on payment of a sum equivalent to ten years' annual subscription at Ordinary rate. (Amended 2005)

c.      Ordinary Members who have been in continuous membership for 30 years without any further payment of subscriptions. (New – inserted 2007)

      iii.        Honorary Membership may be conferred on persons who are distinguished in public life or who have rendered meritorious service to the medical profession or to this Association.

a.     Honorary Members shall remain on the Honorary Members Roll in perpetuity. (New – inserted 2007)

b.     Honorary Membership may be conferred posthumously. (New – inserted 2007)

      iv.         All practitioners who are members of the Malaya Branch of the British Medical Association on the 2nd August, 1959 and are resident in Singapore, and all practitioners applying for membership before January lst, 1960 shall be deemed to be Founder Members.

        v.         Student Membership shall be open to all medical students upon application and payment of annual subscription. (Amended 2000)

      vi.           Spouse Membership shall be open to every spouse of a current Ordinary Member of the Association, such spouse being a person who is registered or provisionally registered in the Register of the Singapore Medical Council. (Amended 1997)

     vii.           Overseas Membership shall be open to any medical practitioner, who having been an SMA Ordinary Member leaves Singapore and takes up permanent residence outside Singapore, or to any medical practitioner ordinarily residing outside Singapore who possesses qualifications as scheduled in the Medical Registration Act of Singapore. In cases of qualifications that are not scheduled in the Medical Registration Act of Singapore, these may be considered on a case to case basis.

The overseas membership of any person shall ipso facto cease on such member returning and/or taking up permanent residence in Singapore.

It shall not be obligatory for the Association to support applications from overseas members who are applying for registration with the Singapore Medical Council.

Article IV
ELECTION OF MEMBERS  

         i.          Election of Life, Ordinary, Spouse or Overseas Members shall be made by the Council of the Association. (Amended 1997)   

       ii.        Every candidate for admission  as an Ordinary, Spouse or Overseas Member shall complete and sign such application form as the Council may from time to time determine. (Amended 1997)

      iii.          Upon the election of a member, notice in writing thereof shall be given to him, and he shall be furnished with a copy of this Constitution, and a request to remit the amount of his first subscription to the Honorary Treasurer within fourteen days of such request. Upon the payment of his first subscription, but not before, he shall become a member of the Association, and be bound by this Constitution and Rules, and be entitled to all the benefits and privileges of membership.

      iv.            Honorary Members shall be elected at a General Meeting on the recommendation of the Council.

Article V
SUBSCRIPTIONS

ii.        The annual subscription for full-paying Ordinary Members from 8^th year after graduation will be $200.00. (Amended 1997;2007)

      iii.         The Annual Subscription shall be 50% of the full-rate for Spouse Members and 75% of the full-rate for Overseas Members.  (Amended 1997)

      iv.            An Ordinary member joining the Association during the second half of the Financial Year shall pay only half the annual subscription in respect of that year.

        v.            An Ordinary Member who is temporarily absent from Singapore for six months or more is entitled to a reduced subscription of half the ordinary rate for that year, if he so notifies the Honorary Secretary. (Amended 2005)

      vi.            An Ordinary Member who is temporarily absent from Singapore for an extended period of one year or above is entitled to request for suspension of membership, and membership subscription for that period will be waived, if he so notifies the Honorary Secretary before his departure. (Amended 2005)

    vii.            The accompanying Spouse Member shall similarly be entitled to waiver of membership subscription for the same period, if he/she so notifies the Honorary Secretary. (Amended 2005)

   viii.            A member who applies for suspension of membership in this manner will not receive hard copies of publications by mail. (Amended 2005)

     ix.            The Council shall have the power to waive membership dues for one financial year in specific cases where an Ordinary Member, because of circumstances beyond his control, is unable to enjoy the rights and privileges of membership. Extension of such waiver beyond one financial year shall require endorsement by succeeding Councils at their discretion. Temporary illness and temporary absences from the State, including study leave, shall not qualify a member for waiver under this Section.

       x.            Honorary and Life Members shall not be required to pay any annual subscription.

     xi.            The Council shall have the power to delete the names from the membership list of those who have died. The Council shall also have the power to suspend membership privileges and rights (including the right to vote) of those members who persistently do not pay up their subscription after one year, provided that two registered reminders have been served on them by the Honorary Treasurer. However, their names shall be deleted from the membership list only after they have been in arrears of subscription of more than two years.

    xii.            Any member of the SMA who desires to give a subscription over and above the annual subscription shall be permitted to do so. A person can reapply for membership after having been deleted provided he pays up all his arrears.

  xiii.            The Annual Subscription for Student Members shall be $20.00. (Amended 2000)

Article VI
PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP

         i.         Honorary and Student Members shall be entitled to all the benefits and privileges of Ordinary Members, except that they shall not be eligible to hold office or to vote. (Amended 2000)

       ii.           Life Members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of Ordinary Members, including the right to vote and hold office.

      iii.          Any Member of the Association may resign by giving to the Honorary Secretary of the Association notice in writing to that effect, providing that any member giving such notice shall be liable to pay his subscription up to and including the current year in which such notice was given.

      iv.           Overseas Members shall be entitled to all the benefits and privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall not be eligible to hold office or to vote.

Article VII
TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

1.                    The Council shall have power to terminate the membership of any Ordinary, Spouse or Overseas Members if he has not paid his subscriptions and/or any levies imposed by the SMA Council for more than two years, provided that the Council may at any time in their discretion, restore him to membership upon payment of all areas of subscriptions, levies, and/or monies then due to the Association.

2.         The Council shall have power to expel from membership of the Association any Member:

a.       who has been convicted in a court of law and sentenced to imprisonment for a period of over one year without the option of a fine, or

b.       whose name has been erased from the Medical Register of Singapore in accordance with Section 23 of the Medical Registration Act (Chapter 174), or

c.       whose conduct is detrimental to the honour and interests of the Medical Profession or of the Association or calculated to bring the Profession into disrepute, or

d.       who has wilfully and persistently refused to comply with the Constitution of the Association and/or resolutions passed by the general body.

3.                   Any member aggrieved by the decision of the Council shall have the right to appeal to an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting called for this purpose. The Council shall call an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting if requested to do so by an aggrieved member within 21 days of receiving such request. The procedure at such a meeting shall be in accordance with Article XI Section 2.

4.                   Any member who has passed away will cease to be a member of the Association. Such a member will also be freed from any encumbrances of membership from the date of demise. (Amended 2005)

  Article VIII
MANAGEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION

1.                   The Association shall be managed by a Council consisting of the President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Assistant Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Assistant Treasurer and nine ordinary Council Members. (Amended 2000)

2.                   The members of the Council shall hold office for a period of two years. Eight members of the Council shall retire each year and eight new Council Members shall be elected to fill their vacant posts for a term of two years. (In the first year of application, the eight members to retire shall be decided by ballot.) A retiring Member shall be eligible for re-election.

3a.        Nominations of candidates to fill vacancies in the Council shall be signed by two Ordinary/ Life Members and contain a consent to act, if elected, signed by the person nominated and shall be left with or forwarded by post to the Honorary Secretary so as to reach him at least thirty days before the annual general meeting. Nominations shall be circulated to the members fourteen days before the annual general meeting.

3b.        If the number of nominations for the vacancies in the Council does not exceed the number of vacancies, the persons so nominated shall be duly elected at the annual general meeting, and any remaining vacancies shall be filled by election at the annual general meeting. If the number of nominations exceeds the vacancies, voting shall be carried out by secret ballot at the annual general meeting - balloting lists of the names of the candidates in alphabetical order shall be prepared and one such list shall at the annual general meeting be given to each Member who shall be entitled to vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies to be filled and no more. The candidates, up to the number of vacancies, who shall receive the most votes shall be declared elected and in the case of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes another voting by secret ballot shall be carried out at the annual general meeting with the names of only the affected candidates placed in alphabetical order.

4.          After the election of the Council has been completed, the annual general meeting shall elect the President, the 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Assistant Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Assistant Treasurer among those elected to the Council. (Amended 2000)

5.                   The President shall hold office for one year and shall become an ordinary Council Member in the 2nd year of his term of office unless he is re-elected to the same or any other position. He is eligible for re-election up to a maximum of 3 consecutive years. No member can stand for election to the Presidency unless he has served in previous Councils for at least 2 years.

6.                   The newly-elected President shall take over office after the annual general meeting either on 1 May of the same year or any other date when the installation of the new President is held, whichever is earlier.

7.                   The 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Assistant Secretary may be re-elected year after year to hold office. The Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Assistant Treasurer shall be eligible for up to two terms of one year each consecutively. (Amended 2000)

8.                   In the event of any casual vacancy arising in respect of the office of President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Assistant Secretary, or Honorary Treasurer or Honorary Assistant Treasurer, the Council shall at its next meeting or as soon as possible thereafter elect one of its members to fill the vacancy. (Amended 2000)

9.                   Any member of the Council who fails to attend 3 consecutive meetings of the Council shall automatically cease to be a member of the Council unless the failure to attend is due to physical disability or to absence from Singapore at the time of the meetings, or to any other reasons considered valid by the Council. Any member disqualified from serving on Council under this clause shall only become eligible to serve again if elected at the next annual general meeting.

Article IX
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

1.                   The President

                                 i.            The President shall take the Chair at all General Meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Council.

                               ii.            The President shall have the right to call meetings of the Council.

                              iii.            The President shall have a casting vote in addition to his vote as a member.

2.                The Vice Presidents

All duties, powers and responsibilities of the President shall, in his absence, devolve upon the lst and 2nd Vice Presidents.

3.                   The Honorary Secretary

                                 i.            The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for summoning all General Meetings of the Association, and all meetings of the Council.

                               ii.            The Honorary Secretary shall keep minutes of the General Meetings of the Association and of the meetings of the Council. He shall keep all members informed of all the important activities of the Association.

                              iii.            The Honorary Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Association under the direction of the President and Council and shall keep a register of all members of the Association.

                              iv.            At least one calendar month before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting of the Association, the Honorary Secretary shall inform all members of the Association in writing of the days fixed for such Annual General Meeting, and draw their attention to Article XI Section 1, Sub-Section (iii).

                                v.            At least two weeks before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting of the Association, the Honorary Secretary shall send to all members of the Association:

a.                   a report of the Council on the activities of the Association during the year preceding;

b.                   a list of the names of members of the Association who joined in the past year, and (Amended 2007)

c.                   an audited statement of accounts for the year preceding.

4.                   The Honorary Assistant Secretary

                                 i.            The Honorary Assistant Secretary shall assist the Honorary Secretary in his duties and responsibilities.

                               ii.            All duties, powers and responsibilities of the Honorary Secretary shall, in his absence, devolve upon the Honorary Assistant Secretary.

5.                   The Honorary Treasurer

                                 i.           The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection and accounting of all the funds of the Association, and shall issue receipts for all payments made to the Association.

                               ii.          The Honorary Treasurer shall open such banking account as the Council may direct, and shall deposit therein all monies received by him on behalf of the Association. All cheques issued by the Association shall be signed by:

a.                  The Honorary Treasurer OR the Honorary Assistant Treasurer AND by the President OR the Honorary Secretary OR the Honorary Assistant Secretary. (Amended 2007)

b.                 For expenses related to the Singapore Medical Journal (SMJ), the Honorary Treasurer OR the Honorary Assistant Treasurer AND the President OR the Honorary Secretary OR the Honorary Assistant Secretary OR the Editor of the SMJ. (New – inserted 2007)

                              iii.            At the end of January of each year, the Honorary Treasurer shall give notice to all members whose subscriptions are in arrears.

                              iv.            The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of the audited Statement of Accounts referred to in Section 3, Sub-Section (v) (c) above.

6.         The Honorary Assistant Treasurer (New – inserted 2000)

i.     The Honorary Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Honorary Treasurer in his duties and

                         responsibilities.

ii.    All duties, powers and responsibilities of the Honorary Treasurer shall, in his absence, devolve upon the Honorary Assistant Treasurer.

7.         Honorary Editor

                                 i.            The Honorary Editor shall be responsible for the publication of such journals, periodicals and proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Association, as the Council may from time to time decide.

                               ii.            The Honorary Editor shall be appointed by the Council for a two-year term and shall assume office on the completion of the current volume.

                              iii.            The Honorary Editor shall be assisted in his duties by an Editorial Board, which shall be appointed by the Council.

1.                   The Council of the Association shall meet at least once in every three months.

2.                   Five members of the Council shall form a quorum.

3.                   The Council of the Association shall elect Ordinary Members in accordance with Article IV.

4.                   The Council shall have power to appoint a member to fill any vacancy in the Council until the next Annual General Meeting.