| NAME |
| This Society shall be known as the “Asia-Pacific Bariatric Surgery Society (APBSS)” hereinafter referred to as the “Society” |
| PLACE OF BUSINESS |
| Its place of business shall be at “Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074,” or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the General Meeting upon recommendation of the Executive Committee, and approved by the Registrar of Societies, Singapore. The Society shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities, where necessary. |
| OBJECTIVE |
| The object of the Society shall be to promote and advance the teaching and research of bariatric surgery in the Asia-Pacific region. The Society will organize congresses or workshops as part of the activities to promote its object. The Society will recommend and promote the guidelines for the management of patients with obesity and its comorbidities. The Society will encourage and support organization and development of all possible entities which contribute to sustaining and improving the care of Obesity patients, surgical and non-surgical. |
| HONORARY MEMBER |
| 1. |
The Honorary Member would have made outstanding contributions to the progress of bariatric surgery in Asia Pacific or be a worldwide person of distinction.
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| 2. |
The Executive Committee may confer an Honorary Membership to any person who, in the opinion of the Committee, has rendered valuable services to the Society.
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| 3. |
Prior to granting Honorary Membership, the Executive Committee shall first propose the name of the person at the General Meeting, and upon the said Meeting accepting the proposal, the said Honorary Membership may be bestowed. |
| 4. |
Full Members are eligible to propose any person suitable for Honorary Membership to the Executive Committee for its consideration. |
| 5. |
Honorary Members shall not be required to pay any Entrance Fee or Subscription Fee. |
| 6. |
Honorary Members shall have no voting rights and shall not be eligible to hold office in the Executive Committee or to participate in the management of the Society. |
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| FULL MEMBER |
| 1. |
Full Members may be elected by application from qualified specialists who are involved in the bariatric surgery certified by a National Board. |
| 2. |
Each applicant shall be proposed by one Full Member and seconded by another Full Member. The application should be sent to the Secretary General. |
| 3. |
The Executive Committee will decide on the application for Full Membership by a simple majority vote. |
| 4. |
Full Members are eligible to vote at General Meetings and hold office in the Executive Committee. |
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| CORPORATE MEMBER |
| 1. |
Corporate Members may be elected by application from companies with an interest in bariatric surgery and in the management of obesity and related-disease. |
| 2. |
The Executive Committee will decide on the application for Corporate Membership by a simple majority vote. |
| 3. |
Each Corporate Member shall be represented by one nominee from the said Company. |
| 4. |
Corporate Members are not eligible to vote at General Meetings. All Corporate Members can be represented in the Executive Committee by a representative. |
| 5. |
Representative of the Corporate Members will meet with the Society annually or as needed. |
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| TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP |
| 1. |
A Full Member may be terminated by the Executive Committee if it deems that: |
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| (1) |
A Member has been convicted of professional misconduct. |
| (2) |
A Member conducts himself in writing, speech or behavior in a manner that in the view of the Committee is prejudicial or injurious to the reputation or good standing of the Society. |
| (3) |
A Member fails to pay his subscription for two consecutive years. |
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| 2. |
Termination of a Corporate Membership shall only be decided at General Meeting by a majority of members present. |
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| COMMITTEES |
| The administration of the Society shall be entrusted to an Executive Committee consisting of the following to be elected at General Meeting: the President, the Past-President, President-Elect, Secretary General, Treasurer and up to 12 Executive Committee Members, who are Full Members. |
| Names for the Executive Committee shall be proposed and seconded at the General Meeting and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. The term of office of the Executive Committee is 2 years. All office-bearers may be re-elected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office provided that the President does not hold office for more than 2 years. The Secretary, Treasurer and Executive Committee members shall not hold office for more than 4 consecutive years and the number of Executive Committee members shall not exceed 3 from each country. |
| Election will be either by show of hands or, subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present by a secret ballot. |
| The Executive Committee may co-opt into the Executive Committee not more than 2 members who, in their opinion, may be useful in the management of the Society. Co-opted members will have no voting right in the executive committee meetings. |
| All the Past-Presidents will be Trustees who will oversee the conduct of the election and support review and propose to the Executive Committee office new proposal coming from Members. This number should not be more than four. On addition of the fifth member, the first will automatically retire. The trustee shall be responsible for the conduct of the election. |
The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year and at such times as deemed necessary by the President for the conduct of the Society’s business.Notice of the meeting shall not be less than eight weeks. |
| Any member of the Executive Committee absenting himself from three meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Executive Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Executive Committee to serve until the next General Meeting. Any changes in the Executive Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change. |
| The Executive Committee would sponsor, delegate and appoint representatives to international conferences, congresses and meetings. |
| The Executive Committee may, at any time, in any form or manner, and for any amount, raise or borrow, for the purposes of the Society, any sums of money in such manner as they think fit. However, the Executive Committee shall not incur any liability or otherwise, on behalf of its members, beyond the net asset value of the Society. |
| The Executive Committee may appoint any member of the Society as a member of a sub-committee as may be deemed necessary for the management of the Society and confer to him such powers and duties as the Executive Committee may decide. |
| The Executive Committee may at its discretion, issue statements to the press or grant interviews on matters pertaining to the Society. No individual member of the Society shall, except with the approval of the Executive Committee, release statements or grant interviews on behalf of the Society. |
| The Executive Committee shall be responsible to convene General Meetings and/or Extraordinary General Meetings as the circumstances deem necessary and in compliance with the other provisions of this Constitution. |
| The duties of the Executive Committee are to organize and supervise the daily activities of the Society and to make decisions on matters affecting its running when the General Meeting is not sitting. It may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and must always remain subordinate to the General Meetings. |
| Decisions within the Executive Committee at all meetings should be by a simple majority. In the event of a tie, the President will have the deciding vote. |
| The Executive Committee and the Society would raise funds from sponsorship of companies in the medical field or other charitable organizations. |
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