Constitution / By-Laws
The Incorporated Constitution version can be downloaded in PDF format here.
1.
Title
The Society shall be known as the Singapore Spine Society.
2.
Place Of Business And Meeting
Its place of business and its address for correspondence shall be at c/o Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NUHS Tower Block, Level 11, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228.
3.
Object
The object of the Society shall be the advancement of the Science and Art of Spine Surgery in Singapore, and for the promotion of professional relationships between this Society and similar Societies in other countries.
4.
Membership
Membership of the Society shall comprise the following categories:
a.
Full Members
b.
Associate Members
c.
Senior Members
d.
Honorary Members
a. Full Members may be elected by application from orthopaedic surgeons or neuro surgeons of high academic and professional standing who are engaged in the practice of spine surgery. Application for election must be made on an official form. Nomination for election as Full Member shall be made by the Executive Committee.
b. Associate Members may be elected from those who are training in orthopaedic, neuro-, or spine surgery and from physicians and surgeons in this or other countries who are interested in spine surgery or allied health professionals registered with the Singapore Medical Council. They shall have the right to attend Scientific and General Meetings and social events of the Society, but do not hold the right to vote. Application for election as Associate Member must be made on an official form, and be supported by at least two members. Nomination for election as Associate Member shall be made by the Executive Committee.
c. Full Members upon reaching the age of 65 years may be made Senior Members. They shall be exempted from the annual subscription while retaining all rights and privileges of Full Members.
d. Honorary Members may be elected from men or women of distinction, including lay persons, who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of surgery in Singapore.
5.
Resignations
a.
Any Member wishing to withdraw from the Society shall give notice in writing to the Honorary Secretary not less than three months before the end of the Society's financial year.
b.
Any Member whose resignation is requested by the Executive Committee shall have the right to appeal to the next General Meeting, provided he or she makes written application to the Honorary Secretary within fourteen days of receiving the request.
6.
Subscriptions
a.
The annual subscription is due from all Full and Associate Members on the First Day of January each year and is payable in advance. The annual subscription shall be determined by the Executive Committee and approved by the Members of the Society, at a general meeting.
b.
No Full Member or Associate Member shall be entitled to any of the privileges of the Society whilst his or her subscription is in arrears for six months, and in the event of its remaining unpaid for two years, he or she shall automatically cease to be a Full Member or Associate Member of the Society. Re-election may be granted by the Executive Committee if all arrears are paid and application in writing is made to the Honorary Secretary.
c.
All persons attending a Scientific Meeting of the Society may be required to pay a registration fee, should that be considered necessary by the Executive Committee on any particular occasion.
7.
Finance
a.
The Society's financial year shall extend from 1st January to 31st December, inclusive.
b.
The Executive Committee can authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $2,500.00 per month from the Society's fund for the Society purposes.
c.
No member of any Committee or Sub-Committee shall incur any expense on behalf of the Society except with the written authority of the Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer stating the amount to be incurred.
8.
Audit
Two members who are not members of the Executive Committee will be elected as Honorary Auditors at each annual general meeting. They will hold office for one year, and may not be reelected. They will be required to audit each year's accounts and present a report upon them to the annual general meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the Society's accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any time and make a report to the Executive Committee.
9.
Scientific Meetings
a.
Scientific Meetings shall be held at least once each year at times and places to be decided the Executive Committee.
b.
The programme for each meeting shall be determined by a Programme Committee.
c.
A Member wishing to present a communication at a scientific meeting shall furnish the Honorary Secretary with an abstract at least three months before the date of the meeting.
d.
Unless otherwise stipulated by the author, every communication presented to the Society shall become the property of the Society, which shall have the right to publish it in the official publication of the Society or elsewhere at a time to be determined in agreement with the author.
e.
Every person presenting a communication shall supply to the Editor an abstract of the communication not less than one month before the meeting; and, if requested, he/she shall also supply within a reasonable time a full typescript and illustrations in a form suitable for publication.
10.
General Meeting
a.
A General Meeting shall be held at least once a year. The agenda for the meeting shall be circularised at least two weeks before the date of the meeting.
b.
Twenty-five percent of the Full Members shall form a quorum. Associate Members shall not constitute the quorum nor do they have the right to vote.
c.
If after thirty minutes from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum of members is not present, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend this constitution.
d.
The President shall call a Special General Meeting within twenty-eight days of receiving a request signed by not less than twenty-five percent of the Full Members and specifying the nature of the business.
11.
Officers
a.
The Officers of the Society shall be:
i.
a President
ii.
a President-Elect
iii.
a Vice-President
iv.
an Immediate Past-President
v.
an Honorary Secretary
vi.
an Honorary Treasurer
vii.
an Editor
b.
The Vice-President, and Honorary Treasurer shall be elected annually from amongst the Full Members of the Society at the Annual General Meeting.
c.
The Honorary Secretary and the Editor shall be elected once in two years from amongst the Full Members of the Society at the Annual General Meeting.
d.
The President, or in his/her absence the President-Elect, shall preside at all Scientific and General Meetings and at all meetings of the Executive Committee. The President shall deliver a Presidential Address at the Annual General Meeting. The term of the President is one year, with the exception of the condition stated in (g).
e.
The President becomes the Immediate Past-President after his term. The term of the Immediate Past President is one year. He/she may be re-elected to the position of Vice-President only after his term as Immediate Past President.
f.
The President-Elect shall assume the Presidency after the term of the incumbent President. The President-Elect shall deputise for the President on all occasions when the President is absent.
g.
If the President ceases to hold office during his/her term, the President Elect shall become the President for the remainder of the President’s term, and also for the following year. The position of the President Elect shall be void in this situation.
h.
The Vice-President shall assume the position of President-Elect after the term of the incumbent President-Elect.
i.
If the President-Elect ceases to hold office during his/her term, except for the condition stated in (g) above, the Vice-President shall assume the position of President-Elect for the remainder of the President-Elect’s term, and also for the following year. The position of the Vice-President shall be void in this situation.
j.
The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for the administrative matters of the Society, including the currency of the membership list, and keep the minutes of all Scientific and General Meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee. He/she shall conduct all correspondence and arrange for the publication of an Annual Report of the affairs of the Society. The term of the Honorary Secretary is two years and he/she may be re-elected for one consecutive term of two years.
k.
The Honorary Treasurer shall collect all monies due to the Society and shall be the custodian thereof. He/she shall inform each Member and Associate when his/her subscription for the forthcoming year is due. He/she shall discharge all monies on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He/she can spend up to $500.00 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Society. He/she will not keep more than $500.00 in the form of cash, and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Executive Committee. Cheques etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the President in addition to the Honorary Treasurer. He/she shall present the audited accounts of the Society at the next General Meeting. The term of the Honorary Treasurer shall be one year and he/she may be re-elected for only one consecutive term of one year.
l.
The Editor shall be responsible for the publications of the Society, which shall include a regular information newsletter for distribution to all Members of the Society. The term of the Editor is two years and he/she may be re-elected to this position.
12.
Executive Committee
a.
Three officers shall form a quorum at a meeting of the Executive Committee.
b.
The Executive Committee shall have power to fill casual vacancies amongst the officers (except for that of the President, President-Elect, and Vice-President), subject to confirmation at the next General Meeting.
c.
The Executive Committee shall have power to request the resignation of any person in any category of membership deemed by the Executive Committee to have been guilty of conduct contrary to the interest of the Society, or to have ceased to take an interest in the objects of the Society, or to have been disobedient to its rules or guilty of an unprofessional act or public misdemeanour, provided that the person concerned shall be notified of the proposed action not less than eight weeks before the next General Meeting.
d.
The Executive Committee shall have power to remit, reduce or suspend the subscription of any Member or Associate at its discretion.
13.
Sub-Committees
a.
The Executive Committee may appoint annually an Editorial Committee, a Scientific Programme Committee, and such other sub-committees as it may decide, and it shall also appoint the officers of all these committees.
b.
The officers and members of sub-committees shall be appointed for one year only, but shall be eligible for reappointment.
c.
Sub-Committees shall have power to co-opt members to assist their work without reference to the Executive Committee, provided the names of those co-opted are recorded in the written report of the sub-committee.
d.
A written report of the proceedings of each sub-committee shall be presented annually to the Executive Committee.
e.
The Editorial Committee shall assist the Editor in his/her work. The Editor shall be the Chairman of the Editorial Committee, and shall prepare a report of the Scientific Meetings for transmission to the medical press. He/she shall arrange the publication of any scientific paper that the Executive Committee may decide to publish at the expense of the Society.
14.
Prohibitions
a.
Gambling of any kind are forbidden on the Society's premises.
b.
The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office-bearers, Executive Committee or members.
c.
The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in Court.
d.
The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
15.
Alteration of The Constitution
a.
The Constitution shall be altered only by the vote of at least two-thirds of the Full Members of the Society present at a general meeting.
16.
Dissolution of The Society
a.
The Society shall not be dissolved other than with the consent of at least two-thirds of its Full Members.
b.
If on the dissolution of the Society there remains, after satisfaction of its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the small shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society, but shall be given or transferred to some other institution or institutions having the object of the advancement of medical science and art, such institution or institutions to be determined by the members of the Society at or before the time of dissolution and, if insofar as effect cannot be given to such provision, then to some other charitable object.