Constitution
KEMCA UK (King Edward Medical College Alumni Association of the UK)
CONSTITUTION AND REGULATIONS
The name of this association shall be King Edward Medical College Alumni of the United Kingdom (KEMCA UK). The Association shall be a non-profitable, non-political, educational and charitable. Its activities will reflect the benefit to its members, medical profession but also to the community in the UK and abroad. The name of the King Edward Medical College was changed to King Edward Medical University (KEMU) in 2006 but there will be no change of name of the KEMCA UK.
OBJECTS
1) The preservation of health by, but not exclusively, advancing the knowledge, practice of and expertise in general medicine by education, teaching and training and other lawfully charitable means;
2) The relief and assistance of people in any part of the world who are victims of war, natural disasters, trouble or catastrophe by the supply of medical aid to such persons;
3) To provide relief for the newly arrived KEMCA ALUMNI in the United Kingdom, who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress in particular but not exclusively, by providing advice, assistance and support with the objective of improving their integration into society and their quality of life;
4) To develop the skills and capacity of members of the socially and economically disadvantaged community of the area of benefit in such a way that they are better able to identify and help meet their needs and to participate more fully in society.
POWERS
• To provide a forum for the Kemcolians to share their expertise and experiences with fellow members.
• To provide a forum for the members to establish academic and social links with the college (KEMU) and its other Alumni associations.
• To participate in the activities of other alumni associations of Pakistani medical colleges/universities in the UK.
• Under the above entitled name, and for the objectives expressed, the Association shall have the power and authority to make rules/regulations, to alter, amend and change the same and to do everything needful for its good maintenance, support and viability. It shall be and is empowered to hold, lease, receive, purchase and convey all manners of property, both real and personal, accept and receive donations, legacies and bequests; to borrow or lend money; to invest its funds as it so chooses; to own, publish, conduct, and circulate such literature as will further its expressed purposes; to name and appoint such managers and employees as its interests and convenience may require; and otherwise to do and perform all acts and things requisite and necessary to carry out the aims and objectives of this Association.
MEMBERSHIP
There will be membership of the Association and it will include the medical graduates of the King Edward Medical College subscribing to the objectives of the Association and residing in the UK, Ireland or any other European country are eligible to become members. The Executive Committee will approve the application for the membership. The members shall have all dues paid and shall be entitled to all of the privileges of the Association including the right to vote and hold office. A member must comply with the rules and regulations of the Association. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race or ethnic origin in the membership of the Association.
MEMBERSHIP FEE
All members shall pay full dues as determined by the Executive Committee and approved by the general body. The term of the annual dues shall be from 1st January to 31st December. Any member whose dues are not paid by 28th February will be considered in arrears and will not be eligible to hold an office in the Association, but may vote as long as all dues are met prior to election. The spouses of deceased UK Kemcolians will be exempted from the membership fee.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the KEMCA UK, and consist of the 10 Executive members including Chairperson, Secretary, Social Secretary, Treasurer and three regional members. The Committee shall control the management of the financial affairs and funds of the association. The Committee shall fix the date and place of meetings. It shall create and authorise the appointment of standing and ad-hoc committees and maintain an up-to-date directory of members. The Committee shall be responsible safekeeping of all financial and pertinent records. Ten executive committee members (ECMs) will be elected by its members every three years. All of the ECMs shall serve until their successors are elected and installed. If all ECMs elected are new then the executive committee will nominate two ECMs from the existing committee. These ECMs will be called non-elect ECMs and will be appointed for 12 months to maintain the continuity. Secretary and the treasurer will stay upto 12 months as non-elect members. Each ECM shall maintain physical residence in the UK during his/her tenure. All KEMCA UK members will be eligible for nomination to any post in the executive committee. 30 days notice will be given to send nominations. There shall be at least one nominee for each position. A member can nominate himself/herself or nominated by other member (with the agreement of the nominee). All nominees will be asked to submit their portfolio, exceeding not more than 200 words and their photograph to the executive committee. These nominations will be sent to all members for vote. 30 days notice will be given for its return. All members shall have the right to vote. All elections shall be by a postal ballot. A simple majority of the votes cast is necessary to elect. An independent company could be contracted to conduct these elections. Failing this, the executive committee will nominate an election panel to supervise and monitor the election. The election panel will comprise of three members who will be nominated by the EC. These members must not be contestant for any EC post The Election panel will open/count the votes at least within a week before the AGM. Its results will be announced at the AGM by the chairperson. No candidate shall be elected to any office for more than two consecutive terms unless two thirds of the members waive this restriction in the AGM. The office of the KEMCA UK shall be declared vacant by the committee when an officer resigns or leaves the UK for a period longer than four months without prearrangement with the council or becomes disabled to carry out duties of the office for reasons of health or otherwise. If the executive committee post becomes vacant, the executive committee will nominate a temporary successor for the unexpired term. The executive committee will meet every three months but for any urgent/important issue, chairperson can convene any extra meeting. The minutes of the meetings will be available to its members if requested.
Duties Of Executive Committee
The duties of the Executive Committee shall include the following:
• To perform all acts and transact all business for and on behalf of the Association
• To manage the funds of the Association and conduct the affairs, works, and activities of the Association except as may be otherwise provided for in these regulations
• To authorise and appoint such committees as are necessary to carry out the work of the Association
• To fill in any vacancies in a committee not otherwise provided for in these regulations • To fix the date and place of the annual social get-together, the AGM and make all appropriate arrangements
• To supervise and oversee all the Association's activities
• To adopt measures in support of its members to uphold aims and objectives of the Association
• To perform such other duties as may be required by the AGM or other rules of the Association.
Chairperson
The Chairperson shall be the general executive member of the Association. The duties of the chairperson shall include the following:
• To chair the annual social get together and the AGM of the Association
• To chair all meetings of the Executive Committee
• To serve as official spokesperson of the Association
• To appoint all future committees of the Association subject to approval by the Executive Committee (such as Academic/CPD, Election Committee, IT/website, Newsletter, project work etc)
• To appoint an editor of the Newsletter and Website
• To represent KEMCA UK at the other alumni meetings in Pakistan and other countries.
• To deliver an annual address.
Secretary
The duties of the Secretary shall include the following:
• To serve as a recording officer of the Executive Committee and the AGM
• To supervise and maintain preparation of and a permanent record of all official minutes of the Association meetings
• To serve as a member of the Executive Committee
• To supervise and maintain an up-to-date record/data of the members and the King Edward Medical College Alumni residing in the United Kingdom and other European Countries to include names, addresses, telephone numbers, year of graduation, specialty and e-mail addresses
• To supervise all publications including website of the Association;
• To supervise all arrangements for the holding of each meeting in the compliance with the constitution and regulations and instructions of the Executive Committee
• To send out all official notices of meetings, committee appointments, special committee assignments, and elections to office
• To notify members and Kemcolians alumni in the UK or other European countries about dues, dues-reminders etc
• To perform such other duties that may be required of him/her by the Chairperson
• To communicate with its members on the AGM, elections, any proposed changes, and dissolution if required.
Social Secretary
• To organise and manage annual social get-together and any other social functions agreed by the Executive Committee.
• To perform such other duties that may be required of them by the Chairperson, Executive Committee, and the AGM
• To raise funds, including sponsorship etc from different sources.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all the invested funds such as membership dues, sponsorships etc. He/she shall accountable, through the committee to the Association. The duties of the Treasurer shall include the following:
• To conduct all financial affairs of the Association
• To act as custodian and transfer for all monies and securities subject to approval by the Executive Committee
• To collect all annual membership dues, donations, and such monies that may be due to the Association
• To draw, sign and send all vouchers payment for indebtedness
• To make available for audit all records and transactions of the Association to the nominated auditors one month before the AGM
• To serve as a member of the executive committee
• To present an annual report at the annual general meeting
• To present a budget at the annual general meeting
• To render a report to the Executive Committee reviewing the Association funds and imparting recommendations for the advancements for the Association's interest at each meeting of the Executive Committee.
Executive Members:
The duties of the Executive Members shall include the following:
• To serve as members of the Executive Committee • To enlist new members and encourage active participation of other Kemcolians
• To perform such other duties that may be required of them by the Chairperson, Executive Committee, and general body.
ADDRESS
The address of the Association shall be the location and physical address of the Secretary of the Association, and may change from time to time.
TRUSTEES OF THE CHARITY
The trustees of the charity will be appointed by the majority of the executive committee members. A trustee will be the member of the KEMCA UK and his/her tenure will be for 3 years. The trustees will be abide by the rules and responsibilities as guided by the Charity Commission.
AMENDMENTS
No alteration or addition to this constitution shall be made except at a General Meeting of the organisation called for such purpose. No alteration or addition shall be made to the Name of the Association, Objects, Dissolution or this clause without the prior written approval of the Charity Commission, and no alteration shall be made which would cause the organisation to cease to be a charity in law. Alterations or additions to the constitution shall receive the assent of not less than two thirds of all members present and voting at a General Meeting.
DISSOLUTION
No proposal for dissolution of the KEMCA UK shall be considered unless recommended by a two-third majority of the Executive Committee. The secretary will communicate this to its members giving at least 30 working days notice in writing. The secretary will call urgent AGM and two-third members need to agree for its approval. At least two-third of the members should be present in this AGM. Upon the dissolution of the Association, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of the Association, dispose of all assets of the Association exclusively for the purposes of the Association to a nominated charity/ or equally distribute to its member or give donation to the parent college. ANNUAL MEETINGS The Association shall hold at least one annual meeting and major part of this meeting will be educational. Approval of its education programme for CME/CPD will be sought from Royal Colleges where appropriate. Additional meetings may be held at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Such meetings shall be presided over by the Chairperson, or in his/her absence the Secretary. Written notice of the annual meeting shall be delivered to each member of the Association at least thirty days in advance of the meeting. Time and place of the annual meeting shall be determined by the Executive Committee which shall be responsible for the necessary arrangements. These meetings can be used as a fund raising opportunity for charity work when agreed by its trustees and executive committee.
AGM
• The AGM will be convened within 15 months of the last AGM. First AGM of the Association will be held in 2003.
• The Treasurer shall present the financial status of the Association to its members in the AGM
• Any proposed amendments to the constitution will be considered.
• Annual membership fee will be reviewed. • Two nominations will be sought from the members to act as auditors of the accounts for the following year.
February 2009