Place of Business :
2. Place of Business of the Society will be Paediatric, Alumni Medical Centre, 2 College Road, Singapore 169608.

Objects:
3.  The objects of the Society shall be :

Membership:
4.  Members shall be of five kinds : Honorary Members, Corresponding members, Life Members, Ordinary Members and Associate Members.

5.  Distinguished persons who have rendered notable service to the society or to the advancement of Paediatric in the Republic of Singapore may on the recommendation of the Executive Committee be elected Honorary Members by a majority at a General Meeting.

6.  Distinguished persons resident outside the Republic of Singapore who have actively engaged in the practice or teaching of paediatrics, or in Paediatric research and who have close links with the Society, may on the recommendation of the Executive committee be elected Corresponding members by a majority at a General Meeting.

7.  Ordinary Members shall be legally qualified medical practitioners in the Republic of Singapore and/or Malaysia.

8.  Applications for Ordinary Membership shall be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary.

9.  The Honorary Secretary shall keep a register of Members.

The privileges of members are:
10. To attend the Society's clinical Meetings.

11. To receive the Journal and other publications of the Society

Subscriptions:
12. The membership fee for Ordinary Members be $50 per year, outstation members and house officers $25 per year and Associate Members $12 per year, payable in advance in the first of January in each year.  Members admitted during the latter half of the year shall pay half the annual subscriptions for the yea.  Members who do not pay their subscription for three successive years shall cease to be members until their subscriptions have been paid.

13. Honorary Members, Corresponding Members and Life Members shall pay no subscription and shall enjoy all the privileges of Ordinary Members except Honorary Members and Corresponding Members cannot vote at meetings or hold office.

Officers:
14. The officers of the Society shall comprise:
               President
               Vice-President
               Honorary Secretary
               Honorary Treasurer

15. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The immediate Past President, President Elect, Vice President, Hon Secretary, Hon Treasurer and Auditors shall hold office for 3 years while the other Executive Committee Members shall remain in office for 1 year till their successors have been appointed. The President Elect, Vice President and the Hon Secretary may be re-elected for 2 consecutive terms. The Hon Tresurer is not allowed to remain in office for 2 consecutive terms.

16. The Honorary Treasurer shall receive all funds of the Society and all disbursements shall be made by cheque signed by the Honorary Treasurer and the Honorary Secretary or by the Honorary Treasurer and one member of the Executive Committee.

Executive Committee :
17. The Executive Committee of the Society shall consist of  

18. The elected members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by a majority vote of members at the AGM for a period of one year and shall hold office until their successors have been appointed.  Vacancies occurring during the year shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

19. In the intervals between AGM the Executive Committee shall exercise management and direction of the Business and conduct the affairs of the Society.

20. At all meetings of the Executive Committee, the President (or in his absence, the Vice-President) shall be Chairman and shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition to his own.  In the unavoidable absence of the President and Vice-President, the Executive Committee shall appoint an Acting Chairman.

21. Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of the Executive Committee.

22. The quorum at meetings of the Executive Committee shall be Three (3).

Meetings:
23. At all meetings of the Executive Committee, the President (or in his absence, the Vice-President) shall be Chairman and shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition to his own.  In the unavoidable absence of the President and Vice-President, the Executive Committee shall appoint an Acting Chairman.

24. Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of the Society.

25. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society shall be held in the first quarter of each year and members should be informed at least one calendar month prior to the Meeting.

26. The business at each AGM shall include:

27. The Executive Committee may summon a Special Meeting at any time on the written requisition signed by five Ordinary Members desiring to submit any specified  resolution to such a meeting.

28. The quorum at a general meeting shall be at least one-eighth of the total membership of Ordinary Members of the Society residing in Singapore.  In the event of there being no quorum, the meeting shall be adjourned to the same in the following week at a place and time to be appointed and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum but they shall have no power to alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules.

29. Ordinary meetings of the Society shall be held as decided by the Executive Committee.

30. The Society shall have power to invite non-members to attend meetings of the Society.

Amendments of Rules:
31. Any proposed amendments to these rules shall be given in writing at least 2 weeks before the AGM of the Society.  Any amendments proposed after the AGM shall be given in writing to the Executive Committee who shall submit them to a Special General Meeting duly summoned to consider them or to the next AGM.  Such amendments to these rules must be proposed and seconded by Ordinary Members and must be passed by majority of at least two thirds of the voting members present at the Meeting before they become effective.

32. Amended rules shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.

Audit:
33. Two persons not members of the Committee will be elected as Honorary Auditors at each AGM and will hold office for one year only and may not be re-elected.  They will be required to audit the year's accounts and present a report upon them to the AGM.  They may be required by the President to audit the Society's accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Committee.

Dissolution:
34. A) The Society shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of NOT less than three-fifths of the members of the Society expressed, either in person or by proxy at a General Meeting convened for the purpose, or by postal vote.

B) In the event of the Society being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged and the remaining funds will be presented to any society or organisations dealing with the welfare of children which are registered under the Charities Act 1982 approved at the meeting convened for the purpose of dissolution.

Amended Rules - Associated Membership:
35. A) Object: to broaden the scope of activities of the Society and to improve the standard of paediatric practice and child care in this country.

B) Eligibility : all persons, other than doctors, who are engaged in the field of Paediatrics, namely, medical students in their clinical years, nurses, laboratory technicians and almoners.

C) Right and privileges : Associate Members shall receive the official journal, circulars, and attend meetings and functions organised by the Society.  Associate Members have no voting rights.

D) Representation at Committee Meetings: The Committee of the Society may co-opt an Associate Member to sit on a Committee meeting or meetings as a representative of Associate Members.  Where possible, the representative to be co-opted shall have special knowledge of the matter or matters to be discussed.  Such a representative shall have  no voting rights but shall be invited to express the views of Associate Members on matters affecting their interest.

E) Others : except where it is at variance with the rules set out above, all the rules and regulations of the Society shall be binding on all Associate Members.

36. That the Singapore Paediatric Society Research Fund created by the Singapore Paediatric Society on 6/1/72 with the approval of the Comptroller of Income Tax should be managed in accordance with provisions maintained in the constitution of the Singapore Paediatric Society Research Fund.

Amended Rules - Life Membership:
37. A) Object: to accommodate Ordinary Members who have been part of the Society for an extended period of their career and to award them free membership rights for their loyalty to the Society, so that they can continue the good association with the Society for the rest of their lives.

B) Eligibility : Criteria for Life Membership : (1) age of 60 years and above; (2) continuous membership of a period not less than 25 years; (3) the member must apply for the Life Membership or nominated by another Ordinary Member, once he/she is eligible; (4) the candidate must be of good moral standing; (5) membership is subjected to approval at the AGM.

C) Right and privileges : Associate Members shall receive the official journal, circulars, and attend meetings and functions organised by the Society.  Associate Members have no voting rights.

The application or nomination must be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary not later than 30th September of the year for consideration in the coming AGM.  The candidates will be vetted by the Executive Committee and shortlisted for deliberation at the next AGM if the criteria are met.  Application/Nomination for Life Membership is only discussed once in each work-year AGM.  Upon approval at the AGM, the Secretary will write officially to the candidates regarding the offer of Life Membership and the candidate must reply in writing within three months from the AGM regarding his/her acceptance of the offer.  Failure to reply is taken as rejection of offer, and the candidate may apply for Life Membership again the following year if he/she is still eligible.  There is no limit to the attempts at application/nomination for Life Membership.

A Life Member can voluntarily give up his/her membership right by informing the Honorary Secretary in writing.  Life Membership can only be revoked at AGM with a motion for removal of the said Life Member and the proposal must show just cause for doing so.  The motion must be raised in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least one month before the AGM.

Rights and privileges : Life Members shall receive the official journal, circulars and attend meetings and functions organised by the Society.  Life members have voting rights and can sit in the Executive Committee.  Life members need not pay annual subscription fee.  Life membership is not transferable and cease with the surrendering of the membership rights and upon the demise of the member.

Representation at Committee Meetings : a Life Member can be an Executive Committee member and he/she is free to sit at other professional/social committees as and when there are such committees needed for specific occasions/functions organised by the Society.

Amended Rules - Disputes :
38. In the event of any dispute arising amongst the members, they shall table the matter for resolution before an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held in accordance with the constitution.  If the members fail to resolve the matter at the Extraordinary General Meeting, they shall bring the matter before a court of law for resolution.

Others : except where it is at variance with the rules set out above, all the rules and regulations of the Society shall be binding on all members.
 

D) Representation at Committee Meetings: The Committee of the Society may co-opt an Associate Member to sit on a Committee meeting or meetings as a representative of Associate Members.  Where possible, the representative to be co-opted shall have special knowledge of the matter or matters to be discussed.  Such a representative shall have  no voting rights but shall be invited to express the views of Associate Members on matters affecting their interest.

E) Others : except where it is at variance with the rules set out above, all the rules and regulations of the Society shall be binding on all Associate Members.


(Updated 4 March 05)