THE CONSTITUTION OF THE NIGERIAN SURGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY
ARTICLE 1: NAME
The name of the Association shall be the “NIGERIAN SURGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY”.
ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVE
The objective of the society shall be as follows:
i. To encourage its members to pursue original clinical and experimental research for the advancement of the art and science of surgery with the ultimate aim of applying the result of such research to the improvement of the care of patients.
ii. To provide a forum for the interchange and dissemination of ideas and information on research work related to the art and science of surgery.
iii. To promote the advancement of surgical training in the country.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION I:
i. The society shall be made up of members, Senior Members, and associate members.
ii. There shall be no limit to the numbers of the Society. Membership of the Society should be thrown open to all practicing surgeons in Nigeria who have attained a consultant status irrespective of whether they practice in a University Medical Centre or not. This is without prejudice to section (viii) of Article.
iii. Which remains in force
iv. A surgeon who is not a practicing surgeon but is engaged in surgical research in a surgical or medical research centre may be elected a member.
v. On attaining the age of 65 a member shall be eligible for election as a senior member. After age 65years, that member will not pay annual dues.
vi. Senior members may attend all scientific and annual general meetings. They shall receive all minutes and agenda. They shall not however, hold any office except that of the President and President Elect.
vii. Associate members shall not be more than 25 members and shall be elected from qualified surgeons in the Teaching Hospital holding post of Senior Resident or Senior Registrar, Associate members may attend all scientific meetings but shall take no part in the Private Business of the Society nor hold any office. An Associate member whose appointment changes after his election shall be deemed to have resigned from the Society but shall be eligible for re-election as an Associate member or election as a member.
viii. All candidates for membership or Associate membership must have read a paper in person to the Society. Under no circumstances will a candidate be elected a member or associate member who has not fulfilled this requirement.
ix. Disqualification: A member or associate member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without an acceptable excuse or has shown no evidence of active involvement in surgical Meeting on three consecutive meetings shall not be eligible for re-election.
SECTION 2: PROCEDURE FOR NOMINATING MEMBERS OR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
a. A nominating form signed by two members or senior members of the Society shall be filed with the Secretary at least three months before meeting at which the Society intends to make an election.
b. The nomination must be accompanied by letters from the nominators. These letters should describe fully the past and present research activities which bear on his suitability for membership or associate membership of the Society.
c. The Secretary shall distribute relevant abstracts on the candidate to individual members of the Society at least two weeks before the meeting at which the society intends to make an election. The proposed candidate shall have fulfilled the requirements of Paragraph viii, Section I: Article III at a previous meeting of the Society.
Procedure for recommendation
d. The Executive Council shall first meet and after due consideration of all the relevant data on the candidate, shall recommend the candidate to the Society for election. All members of the Council present at the meeting must agree before any candidates can be recommended and the number recommended must not exceed the vacancies available.
Procedure for election
e. The recommendation shall be sent to the general meeting of the Society. The Society will vote by secret ballot on members recommended by the Council. A three quarters majority of members present and voting shall constitute an election.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY
i. The officers of the society shall be the President, the President – Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and five members who together shall constitute the Executive council. They shall be elected by and from members of the Society except that senior members shall be eligible for the posts of President and President – Elect only. All officers shall be elected by secret ballot.
ii. The President shall hold office for a period of one year and shall not normally be eligible for immediate re-election. He shall preside at all meeting of the Society and the Executive Council.
iii. The President: Elect shall be elected for a period of one year and shall not normally be eligible for re-election. He shall preside at all meetings of the society and the Executive council in the absence of the President and will automatically become the President at the expiration of his term as President – Elect.
iv. The Secretary shall be elected for a period of two years and shall be eligible for re-election for one term of two years only, after which he shall not normally be eligible for re-election. He shall keep the minutes and all other documents of the Society. The Secretary shall present a comprehensive Annual Report at the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
v. The Treasurer shall be elected for a period of two years and shall be eligible for re-election for one term of two years only, after which he shall not normally be eligible for re-election. He shall collect all the dues and other monies of the Society. He also has the responsibility of keeping the financial statement at each annual general meeting. The Secretary and the treasurer together shall sign all cheques on behalf of the Society.
vi. The five members of the Council shall be elected for a period of three years and shall not normally be eligible for re-election. In the year of inauguration three members will be elected in the second year.
vii. The Executive Council of the Society shall arrange meeting and run the affairs of the Society subject to the views of the Society. All candidates nominated for membership or associate membership shall first be considered and recommended by the Council according to the procedure outlined in Article III, section II.
The Executive Council shall also function as the Scientific Committee and shall consider abstracts of papers intended for presentation to the Society and shall decide on their acceptability or otherwise and communicate decision to the persons concerned.
It is the function of the Council to meet prior to the General Meeting of the Society for consideration of matters to be presented to the Society at large. All resolutions shall be referred to the Executive Council and shall be presented to Society for vote upon recommendation of the Council.
ARTICLE V
MEETINGS:
i. The Society shall meet twice a year in July and December and at such other times as shall be decided.
ii. A business meeting shall be held at some time during each meeting of the Society to consider arrangements for the following meeting and also to consider matters referred to it by the Executive Council.
iii. The business meeting in December shall be the Annual General Meeting at which election of the officers and other members of the Executive Council shall take place. The President’s address and the Annual Reports of the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be received at this meeting.
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS
i. All paper presented to the Society shall preferably be spoken and not read and shall not exceed 10 minutes. Such communications should present works not previously published. Time shall be allowed for decision.
ii. An abstract of the communication should be sent to the Secretary at least two months before the date of the meeting at which the paper is to be presented. Such abstract should include the title, the methodology, results and conclusion and should not be more than 200 words.
iii. Communications for presentation at meetings shall be selected by the Executive Council which shall constitute the Scientific Committee as outlined in Article IV
ARTICLE VII
FINANCE
i. The Annual subscription shall be fixed at the annual General Meeting and shall be payable by all categories of membership except that senior members shall continue to pay their annual subscription up to the age of 65years. The subscription shall become due at the beginning of the year immediately after the Annual General Meeting.
ii. Any member who is in arrears of two years subscription inspite of due notice shall cease to be a member.
iii. The Treasurer shall present a detailed financial statement as ‘Treasurer’s Report’ at the Annual General Meeting.
iv. The Executive Council will appoint auditors annually to audit the accounts of the Society and the Auditor’s report will be presented one year in arrears at the Annual General Meeting.
ARTICLE VIII
ATTENDANCE:
An attendance register shall be kept. Any member or Associate Member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Society and shall be so informed by the Secretary. He shall however, be eligible for re-election.
ARTICLE IX
VISITORS:
A Senior, Ordinary or Associate member can introduce visitors who may attend the scientific meeting and take part in the discussions.
The local organizer should be informed in writing about such a visitor by the member who wished to introduce him and should state the reason why he should be invited. Such information should reach the local organizer at least one week before the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE X
VACANCIES:
Vacancies occurring in the officers of the Society other than that of the President shall be filled temporarily by appointment by the President until the next Annual meeting.
If the post of the President becomes vacant, this should be filled by the President elect who will continue until the end of his normal term.
ARTICLE XI
JOURNAL
Name: The Journal of the society shall be called Journal of the NIGERIAN SURGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY (JNSRS).