Name
The Association shall be called the Medical Gas Association.
Objectives
The Association shall interest and engage itself in all aspects of those branches of science, engineering and medicine concerned with the safe use and supply of medical gases and to the promotion of study, training, research and standards relating to medical gases and the dissemination of relevant information.
1. Membership
Membership shall be open to any individual professionally interested in or actively engaged in occupations related to, the use, control, installation, maintenance or manufacture of equipment for the supply of medical gases to patients.
Individuals shall be admitted into membership at the discretion of the Executive Committee and upon payment of the annual subscription. The Executive Committee shall have the power to terminate the membership of persons who are deemed to have compromised the objectives of the Association.
All members shall be entitled to vote.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint to Honorary Membership persons who have given distinguished service in furthering the objectives of the Association.
Honorary members shall be exempt from the annual subscription fee.
2. Honorary Members and Executive Committee
An Executive Committee, which shall be responsible for the day-to-day conduct of the Association's business, shall consist of the Honorary Officers Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Membership Secretary, Treasurer and Editor, such other officers as the Committee shall from time to time appoint and not less than six, nor more than nine, Ordinary Members of the committee.
The Executive Committee shall ensure that minutes of all its meetings are kept, that records of membership are maintained, that proper accounts are kept of all financial transactions and that the Annual General Meeting is organised.
The Honorary Officers, (except the Chairman), and the Members of the Executive Committee shall hold office for three years but may be re-elected for a further consecutive term of three years. After two consecutive terms of office, they shall be ineligible for re-election until a further year has passed. Provision shall be made to ensure that all members do not retire simultaneously.
The Chairman may only serve for one three-year period as Chairman but will then be eligible for re-election after a period of one year.
Honorary Officers and members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. They shall be nominated and seconded by a member of the Association and indicate their willingness to stand for election in writing. Nomination papers, duly completed, must be in the hands of the Secretary at least 30 days before the date of the AGM.
All elections shall be determined by a ballot of members of the Association. The Executive Committee shall make such arrangements as they consider appropriate for the conduct of the ballot by post or otherwise.
3. Meetings
The quorum for any meeting of the Executive Committee shall be two Honorary Officers and two members of the Committee.
The Executive Committee shall meet as often as required to transact the business of the Association and, in any event, at least once every 6 months.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt up to a maximum of two extra members and may fill any vacancy until the end of the Association's year when all such co-opted members shall retire and, if they desire, submit themselves for election in the normal manner. The period so served shall not be counted as part of the two three-year terms of office to which they are restricted.
The Executive Committee may appoint such sub-committees and working groups as they think fit. All such sub-committee or working groups shall report to the Executive Committee and work within the terms of reference set by the Executive Committee.
4. Subscriptions
Members of the Association shall pay an annual subscription as agreed by the Annual General meeting.
Members whose subscription is more than 3 months in arrears shall be removed from membership but may be re-instated on payment of any arrears.
5. Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting shall be held within at least 15 months of the previous Annual General Meeting.
The business of the Annual General Meeting shall consist of the acceptance of a report from the Executive Committee including a financial report, election of Honorary Officers and Executive Committee members when appropriate, appointment of a suitably qualified person to examine the Association's accounts, and any relevant business of which notice in writing has been received by the Secretary at least 90 days before the date of the meeting.
6. Activities
The Association shall hold an Annual Technical Symposium and may hold such other meetings as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide.
The Association shall publish for its members an informative bulletin on its activities and shall arrange for the publication of the proceedings of the Annual Technical Symposium, and such other information as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide.
The Association shall use its best endeavours to ascertain and represent the views of members to standards organisations, regulatory authorities and others with responsibility for medical gas systems and associated activities.
The Association shall actively seek to liaise with other organisations within the UK and overseas to promote standards of excellence in the use of medical gases and all related activities within the objectives of the Association.
7. Amendments to the Constitution
The constitution of the Association may only be amended at a General Meeting of the Association. Notice of the proposed amendments shall have been given not less than 90 days before the meeting and a two-thirds majority of members voting, either in person, or by post, or by proxy, shall be required for any change.
8. Dissolution of the Association
The dissolution of the Association may only be effected by a resolution passed by a three-fourths majority of the members of the Association present in person, or by proxy, at a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose and for which notice has been served, at least 90 days before, on every then member of the Association at his/her last known address.
If a motion to dissolve the Association is carried by the said majority, the Association's surplus funds and assets, if any, shall not be distributed amongst the members but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable organisation, or organisations, having similar objectives.