There shall be an Association of State Registered Podiatrists in Malta, which shall be regulated according to this statute, and according to the laws and regulations concerning Podiatrists in Malta
1. THE NAME OF THE ASSOCIATION
1.1 The name of the association shall be ‘the Association of Podiatrists of Malta’ and abbreviated as ‘APM’.
1.2 The main office of the APM shall at the MFPA HQ, Professions Centre, Sliema road, Gzira or at any other place that may be determined by the elected committee from time to time
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
2.1 The APM is a voluntary, independent, and non-••profit-••making organisation;
2.2 The aims and objectives of the APM shall be:
2.2.1 To maintain and upgrade standards of Podiatry according to worldwide standards.
2.2.2 To strive to promote the levels of competence of its members.
2.2.3 To promote the profession at a national and international level.
2.2.4 To maintain and renew the code of ethics and practice of the profession.
2.2.5 To ensure due observance of the code of ethics and practice of the profession by all members of the association.
2.2.6 To liaise, in an advisory capacity, with health authorities, professional bodies and voluntary organisations, regarding issues related to Podiatry.
2.2.7 To further the interest, and to enhance and safeguard the welfare of all the association’s members.
2.2.8 To voice opinions on Podiatry related issues.
2.3 The APM shall take any appropriate measures to fulfill the above aims and objectives.
3. MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Any Podiatrist who is state-••registered in Malta may become a member of the Association and shall be eligible for voting and/or seeking election at any General Meeting held by the Association; subject to the conditions laid down in these Statutes.
3.2 New members shall be bound to pay a Registration Fee of €20.00
3.3 All members shall be bound to pay an annual membership fee of €65.00, which includes membership fees within those organisations to which the APM may be affiliated. In default of payment before the end of February defaulters shall no longer be eligible to attend and vote at general meetings. The failure to remit any membership fee will automatically cause the member’s name to be struck off the members’ list. Reapplication will involve payment of the Registration Fee, as per article 3.2 of this statute
3.4 The committee may warn a member of the association with a written notification of proven unethical conduct. The member shall have the opportunity to defend himself or through legal assistance. The member may be struck off the list in a general meeting as voted by members present through a secret vote. A simple majority is sufficient. The decision of the general meeting shall be final.
3.5 A member of the association may use the designatory letters M.Pod.A
3.6 It is the applying member’s responsibility to provide state registration number, email, postal address and mobile number with every renewal of the APM membership
3.7 Podiatry students shall be eligible for temporary membership. The fee shall be that of €10. This membership is valid for one whole year even if the student graduates. There will be no registration fee. Students holding such temporary membership will have no voting rights at any AGM, but shall enjoy the right to attend APM activities and to address the AGM.
3.8 Honorary members may be nominated by an three (3) members of the APM and shall be elected by a simple majority at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) or AGM. Honorary membership is a lifetime award and incurs no membership fee.
3.9 APM members are encouraged to attend at least 2 APM yearly educational events organised by the same association. Failing to do so, upon renewal of the yearly membership, one needs to pay again the €20.00 registration fee. Failing to do so, the yearly membership will not be renewed.
3.10 The APM will charge a 5% on late membership or insurance renewals
3.11 The APM will charge a 5% administration fee with the renewal of the Indemnity insurance
4. ADMINISTRATION
4.1 The affairs of the association shall be administered by a committee made up of a: President; Vice-•• President; General Secretary; Financial Officer; Public Relations Officer; Officer for Education, Policy and Professional Standards and two student representatives. All committee members shall be elected by an Annual General Meeting (AGM). The role of committee members apart from the President shall be determined on the first committee meeting of the new committee after the AGM.
4.1.1 The role of the President shall be to:
4.1.1.1 Call and chair all meetings of the committee
4.1.1.2 Coordinate on going activities;
4.1.1.3 Set time frame on decisions taken;
4.1.1.4 Set the agenda of the committee meetings;
4.1.1.5 Act as the official representative of the association;
4.1.1.6 Responsible for coordination of sub-••committees.
4.1.2 The role of the Vice-•• President shall be to:
4.1.2.1 Represent the President in the latter’s absence;
4.1.2.2 Liaise with associations/ organisations such as the International Federation of Podiatrists (FIP/ IFP) and non-•• governmental organisations (NGOs);
4.1.2.3 Officially represent the APM on the Malta Federation of Professional Associations (MFPA) council.
4.1.3 The role of the General Secretary shall be to:
4.1.3.1 Record the minutes of all committee meetings and AGM’s and be responsible for all documents, ledger and archives of the APM;
4.1.3.2 Administer the APM office and official correspondence of the association.
4.1.4 The role of the Treasurer shall be to:
4.1.4.1 Keep accounts, ledgers and balance sheets;
4.1.4.2 Collect annual membership fees;
4.1.4.3 Produce an annual financial report as approved by the committee at the AGM;
4.1.4.4 Administer funds as directed by the committee;
4.1.4.5 Be responsible for the generation of income in accordance with the set targets made by the committee;
4.1.4.6 Responsible and collaborate with the PRO to attract, propose, negotiate and agree on sponsorship packages of the APM with prospective sponsors.
4.1.5 The role of the Public Relations Officer (PRO) shall be to:
4.1.5.1 Maintain the media, branding and public image of the association;
4.1.5.2 Act as editor of the APM newsletter and website;
4.1.5.3 Responsible and collaborate with the treasurer in order to attract, propose, negotiate and agree on sponsorship packages of the APM with prospective sponsors.
4.1.6 The role of Office for Education, Policy and Professional Standards shall be to:
4.1.6.1 Act as chairperson of the standing committee for Education, Policy and Professional Standards (CEPPS);
4.1.6.2 Coordinate and see through the agenda of CEPPS committee as approved in the AGM;
4.1.6.3 Issue a call for nominations for members of the association to form part of the education committee no later than 20 days from his appointment;
4.1.6.4 Act as communicator and intermediary between the central committee and CEPPS while voicing the opinions of the committee with CEPPS and vice-•• versa.
4.1.7 The two (2) student representatives shall be elected amongst his peers during the AGM. He/ she shall bear no voting rights within the committee. They may voice students’ opinions on issues being dealt with by the committee. Student representatives may also assist the committee according to the exigencies from time to time and as decided by the committee.
4.2 Legal representation of the APM shall rest with any two amongst the President, the vice-•• President and the Secretary.
4.3 Each meeting of the Committee shall be presided over by the President or in his absence the Vice-••President or in the absence of both, by the Secretary.
4.4 Decisions taken by the Committee shall be determined by a simple majority of the committee members present and voting. In the event of a deadlock the President of the meeting shall have the casting vote.
4.5 The committee shall be empowered to take decisions only after a quorum of three (3) members has been constituted. If, after the lapse of thirty (30) minutes from the appointed time of the committee meeting a quorum has not been constituted, those present may opt to either adjourn the meeting to a later date, or may otherwise opt to proceed with the business at hand, provided that all decisions taken in the absence of a quorum must necessarily be ratified once a quorum is duly constituted at the next scheduled committee meeting.
4.6 The committee may, for the better of the Association, set up one or more sub-••committees on which members of the Association shall be eligible to sit. The appointment of members to any sub-••committee shall take place by decision of the Committee, without the need for elections to be held. The Committee shall, when setting up any sub-••committee, determine its scope, capacity and its terms of reference. The term of office of any subcommittee shall automatically terminate at the AGM, or on sooner date if the Committee so decides.
4.7 In the event of a Committee member’s resignation, the next candidate eligible to occupy the vacated position will be the candidate who attained the most votes of those not elected at the previously held AGM. Should no such candidate exist, or should any such candidate decline the post, the Committee shall be entitled to co-••opt a member to the Committee to fill any post that may be vacant, which post shall remain occupied by the member in question until the next AGM, or any Extraordinary General Meeting (‘EGM’) held before that time – at which EGM elections for the co- • opted post shall be held.
4.8 The elected committee members excluding student representatives shall serve for 2 consecutive years. However, if half of the committee resigns within the first annual term, then all committee members are required to undergo re-election. It is important to note that resignations by student representatives do not affect this rule.
4.9 To seek transparency and avoid any sort of conflict of interest, members of the APM committee shall not be directly or indirectly involved in companies that sponsor the same APM.
5. COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND PRACTICES
5.1 A transition period of one month between the outgoing and inco1111ming central committee will exist from the day after the last AGM. During this period of time, the outgoing committee together with the new committee shall meet for a minimum of one meeting to discuss pending matters on the agenda for a swift transition.
5.2 Where possible, pending matters should not be stopped after the end of one committee period. Outgoing committee members shall assist the new committee accordingly and in good will. The outgoing committee must also present a document of pending matters on the agenda during the AGM.
5.3 During the first committee meeting, which should not be held no later than two (2) weeks from the preceding AGM, committee positions have to be decided by a simple majority vote. In case of a deadlock the President reserves the right to use the casting vote.
5.4 The central committee is duty bound to:
5.4.1 Hold at least twelve (12) committee meetings per year, although more meetings are encouraged. Attendances of all committee members must be recorded as either absent, present or excused. These must be presented during the AGM.
5.4.2 Record all meeting agendas and minutes. These have to be presented as a soft and hard copy during the following AGM.
5.4.3 Present a transition document during the AGM of all pending matters of the association.
5.4.4 Complete yearly reports as necessary in accordance with specified requirements at the time including report for Voluntary Organisations and VAT Department (in case were VAT refunds are sought).
5.4.5 Hold an inventory of current, previous documents, official publications, consumables and non-••consumables. The committee shall also maintain and update a database of previous committee members and their respective positions.
5.5 The Committee shall represent the Association. Any agreement in writing or any transaction with the bank shall bear the signature of at least two officials of the Association.
6. STANDING COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATION, POLICIES AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS (CEPPS)
6.1 The standing committee is chaired by the incumbent officer for education, policies and professional standards of the central committee. The incumbent officer holds the title of Chairperson of this standing committee.
6.2 The aims and objectives of the sub committees are set during the AGM/EGM and as proposed by members
6.2.1 Education
6.2.2 Continuous Professional Development/ Education
6.2.3 Research
6.2.4 Professional Conferences
6.2.5 Consultation Documents and proposal documents of expanded scope practice and policies
6.2.6 Ensure professional standards throughout podiatric practice and advice members accordingly on latest guidelines of practice.
6.3 The standing committee works in the interest of the association, the central committee and its members. The standing committee shall assist the central committee accordingly and according to requests made through the chairperson.
6.4 The standing committee has to be formed not less than twenty (20) -•• but not more than thirty (30) -•• days after the appointment of the new committee during the last AGM. The chairperson issues a call that is opened to all APM members interested in being part of the standing committee. The call should give at least seven days for interested applicants to respond and apply.
6.5 The standing committee shall include six (6) members but will function with less members, which includes the chairperson.
6.6 If sufficient representation is not possible as represented in (6.5) and after repeated efforts from the chair, he/she may open the call to all member podiatrists for the vacant post/s.
6.7 Agenda and minutes of the standing committee have to be taken and presented during the AGM.
6.8 Any decisions, proposals or documents taken or presented by the standing committee have to be endorsed by the central committee before they become official.
7. FINANCIAL STREAMS
7.1 All financial income streams and turnover of the association are the responsibility of the financial officer. All income is detailed and presented during the AGM.
7.2 The treasurer must ensure that new sponsors are enrolled according t the latest sponsorship packages of the association. These sponsorship packages are attached to this statute and in appendix 1. Recommended fees for each package are also quoted in the appendices. Packages may only be revised during an AGM/ EGM although package prices may be changed according to discretion of the central committee from time to time and as long as such changes do not favour a specific sponsor/s.
7.3 The treasurer ensures that the association and its sponsors abide by the agreements and clauses within the signed contracts.
7.4 The association shall ensure exclusivity to its sponsors and never promote or advantage any direct competitors to current sponsors. The association always acts in the mutual interest of both parties.
7.5 The association shall never accept monetary gifts from political parties or entities associated with political parties.
8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
8.1 There shall be a formal Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’) of the Association once a year and this shall be held in Malta on any day up to the end of February.
8.2 Notice in writing shall be served on all members at least twenty one days before the holding of such meeting giving the day and place set for the meeting and an agenda. Such notice shall be posted to the members at the last given address appearing on the Hon. Secretary’s Register and non-•• receipt of such notice by one or more members shall not invalidate the meeting.
8.3 The following business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting.
8.3.1 Reading and approval of the minutes of the previous A.G.M.
8.3.2 Reading of the President’s annual address.
8.3.3 Submission of details of expenditure incurred on behalf of the members.
8.3.4 Selection of Auditors’ and Auditors Report.
8.3.5 Details of all activities, which have occurred in the previous year.
8.3.6 Report by the Chairperson of the CEPPS sub-••committee
8.3.7 Matters Arising and any statute amendments
8.3.8 Election of a Committee of Management for the coming year.
8.4 Nominations for the committee for the upcoming term must be issued not less than 21 days from the next AGM. The call for nominations must be sent by the secretary to all registered members as listed in the latest updated associations register either be email or by post.
8.5 Call for nominations for the new central committee members:
8.5.1 The call for nominations gives a duration of 10 days from the date of issue for prospective applicants to make their interest known to the secretary either in writing by registered mail or by email. Prospective applicants must ensure receipt of their interest from the secretary.
8.5.2 A list of the prospective committee members for the succeeding committee as received by the secretary within the stipulated time frames shall be communicated to the members on the 11th day from the issuing of the call by the said secretary. This shall be donethrough a pdf document with all the names in alphabetical order (surname first).
8.5.3 Members on the said list are given a further three days to decide whether they want to remain on the list or want to change their position and remove themselves from the candidates list. Members not on the said list may also add their names to the list as prospective committee members during these three days.
8.5.4 On the 15th day from the original call for nominations was issued the final list of prospective committee applicants that is based on the final updates from the second call for nominations. This list is final. Dropping out from the list may only be done during the forthcoming EGM/ AGM.
8.6 When an election is required:
8.6.1 Voting occurs so that candidates receiving the highest number of votes are ranked in numerical order so that the first six candidates are automatically elected.
8.6.2 A separate voting is held for a student representative where nominations exceed more than 1. The student with the highest number of votes is automatically elected.
8.6.3 In the case of recurring ties between two or more candidates, the President of the outgoing Committee being the President of the meeting may, if he so desires, use the casting vote.
8.7 All proposals and statute amendments presented during an AGM will be deemed to have been passed if supported by not less than 50 plus 1(51%) of the fully paid members present at the meeting in person.
8.8 A quorum shall be constituted at any AGM or EGM once 25% of all fully paid-••up members have convened at the appointed time. If the AGM or EGM is postponed to another date due to a lack of quorum being constituted on the original date, then the requirement for a quorum to be constituted shall not apply for the rescheduled meeting.
8.9 Any five (5) or more members shall be entitled to call an Extraordinary General Meeting by giving notice to the President in writing stating the business that they may wish to discuss at such extraordinary general meeting and the President shall, within 10 days of the receipt of such a request serve a notice to all members giving the time, day and place in Malta set for the Extraordinary General Meeting as well as the agenda for such a meeting which is to be limited to the subject or subjects raised by the member seeking such meeting.
8.10 The procedures to be followed at the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be the same as that adopted for the ordinary General Meetings whenever applicable.
8.11 The Committee while in office may hold any such other General Meetings as it deems fit.
9. GOOD CAUSE FUND
9.1 The committee elected in each AGM/ EGM will maintain a fund set up specifically for good causes and entitled the ‘APM Good Causes Fund’.
9.2 Funds generated through this initiative are to be saved in a separate account from that of the APM and can be managed by the treasurer and president only.
9.3 Funds for this cause may be generated from any events generating monetary income provided that the particular event is promoted in advance with clear reference to the amount or percentage of proceeds that will go directly to the is fund.
9.4 The percentage or amount of proceeds going for the Good Causes Fund as generated from APM events cannot be changed from that promoted before the event.
9.5 The funds generated in this account may be used in the following instances:
9.5.1 When a minimum of 2 APM members nominate another APM member for financial assistance on the basis of a justifiable reason. This reason is presented to the committee by the members and through the secretary in writing. The APM takes its decision on whether it will accept the proposal and on the amount of financial assistance the APM is ready to make at the disposal of the nominated member.
9.5.2 When by the end of each year the funds have not been used up the APM may use 50% of the funds in the account as a donation to philanthropic associations and/or initiatives. The decision on who is the beneficiary has to be approved by a simple majority of the committee. At the end of the year the committee may not donate to third parties (non-••APM members) more than 50% of the total funds accumulated.
10. DISSOLUTION
10.1 The dissolution of the Association shall be decided in a general meeting convened for this purpose and by a vote carried by at least two-••thirds of all members present and voting, or if the membership is less than four (4).
10.2 In the case of dissolution, all the Association’s assets, after the payment of all debts shall be liquidated and applied in favour of one or more voluntary organisations embracing aims and/or purposes similar to those of the APM, the choice of which shall be made by the AGM and implemented by the Committee.
