The Supreme Constitution of the National Health Students Associstion of Ghana ( Nahsag)

8/8/2019 The Supreme Constitution of the National Health Students Associstion of Ghana ( Nahsag)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-supreme-constitution-of-the-national-health-students-associstion-of-ghana 1/271

THE SUPREMECONSTITUTION

OF THE NATIONAL

HEALTHSTUDENTS’

ASSOCIATION OFGHANA

(NAHSAG)

s watermark does not appear in the registered version - http://www.clicktoconvert.com

http://www.clicktoconvert.com/



TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGE

1. PREAMBLE 3

2. MISION STATEMENT 3

3. NAME/LOGO/ACRONYM 3

4. AIMS/ OBJECTIVES 4

5. MEMBERSHIP/COMPOSITION 4,5

6. EXECUTIVE BOARD 5 -7

7. LIASONS/REPRESENTATIVES 8

8. SUPERVISORY COUNCIL 8

9. COMMITTEES 8 -9

10. GENERAL ASSEMBLY 9

11. STANDING ORDERS 10 -20

12. DOMESTIC RULES & REGULATIONS 21 -27





PREAMBLE

In the name of God the supreme Being, we the Members of this Association hereinreferred to as The National Health Students Association of Ghana “NAHSAG” wishes tocreate a platform for all health students in Ghana, through collaboration and interfacingwith state and donor agencies in pursuance of National Health goals that ensures aHealthy living for the mass of our people.

Desirous of fostering unflinching solidarity among health Students, health Professionals,individual and all relevant Institutions, whose activities impact positively on the Healthof the good people of Ghana.

Having the conviction that a partnership between Health Students, and HealthProfessionals will bring about a synergy of skills and knowledge which will have aliberating effect on all Ghanaians.

Conscious of the fact that our noble ideals are realized when set out in a writtendocument, we the members of NAHSAG do hereby enact for ourselves this constitutionwhich shall b e the basic and supreme law of the Association.

MISSION STATEMENT

“Our mission is to offer future Health Professionals in Ghana, a comprehensiveintroduction to National Health issues and empower students in Ghanaian HealthTraining Institutions, by using their Knowledge and other capabilities whiles at school forthe benefits of society.

ARTICLE 1Name: The Association shall be known and called

“THE NATIONAL HEALTH STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA” Abbreviated (NAHSAG)

LOGO: (proposed for adoption)

MOTT O: UNITED FOR HEALTH

ARTICLE 2 (INTERPRETATION & EFFECT)

The provisions in this constitution shall be binding on the Association and its members.All former constitutions, rules and regulations by which the Association was formerlygoverned are hereby revoked and no longer effective.





ARTICLE 3 (AIMS & OBJECTIVES)

1. With the myriad of problems affecting the Health of Ghanaians, particularly theyouth, such an Association will provide an opportunity to involve the youth indecision making, as well as the implementation process.

2. Inculcate the spirit of togetherness among the future Health Service personnel,even while they are students

3. Create a means of channeling their collective views and give them s unified voicein society.

4. To ensure that this group harmonizes the activities of the individual groups5. To create public awareness, so that the public sees the relevant of their programs.6. To create and fine tune the synergy of Health Students, The Ministry of Health,

Ghana Health Service and NGOs7. To undertake public Health related projects8. Organize annual congress to give expression to their Membership9. To foster cooperation with international organizations on scientific and

educational programmes.

ARTICLE 4 (MEMBERSHIP)

The Members of the Association shall be

1. Full Members2. Associate members3. Friends of NAHSAG4. Alumni Members

ARTICLE 5 (Subject to article (4) of this constitution)

a. A Full Member shalli. Include Member Associations in good standingii. Enjoy full benefits of the associationiii. Have speaking and voting right at congress

b. Associate membersShall be other student Associations whose activities have a bearing on health andhas been accorded Associate Membership stakes by NAHSAG.

c. Honorary Membersi. Subject to approval by the General Assembly, then Executive Board may

confer honorary Life Membership to an individual who has renderedmarked service to the Association.

ii. Honorary Life Membership shall be conferred subjected to 2/3 majorityvote at a General Assembly meeting

d. Friend of NAHSAG

Any person who wishes to support or advance the aims of NAHSAG both morallyand financially shall be a “Friend of NAHSAG”





e. Alumni Member

All alumni of Member Associations

ARTICLE 6 (COMPOSITION)

NAHSAG shall be composed of

a. Supervisory Councilb. General Assemblyc. Executive Boardd. Liaison/Represe ntatives e. Committees

ARTICLE 7

A. SUPERVISORY COUNCIL shall include i. Prominent persons who have distinguished themselves in Healthii. Well meaning persons who are committed to advancing the course of

Public of public Health in Ghana.B. GENERAL ASSEMBLY (GA)

i. Shall be the highest legislative body of the association and decisions takenat the General Assembly shall be binding on all members.

ii. Shall be convened and held annually during the “congress” being themeeting of NAHSAG

iii. Shall be convened as and when the executive Board deem emergentiv. The General Assembly shall approve of honorary Life Membership status

reference article 5 clause C subsection(ii)

v. The program of the General Assembly shall be as stated in article 5 of thestanding orders

C. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD (EB)a. Shall be made up of the following elected officers

i. President ii. First vice Presidentiii. Second vice Presidentiv. General Secretaryv. Treasurer/ Financial secretaryvi. Coordinating secretary

b. General function of the Executive Boardi. The Executive Boar d is the body responsible for the day to day functions

of the National Health Students Association of Ghana (NAHSAG)ii. The Executive Board in times of emergency shall have the power to

promptly and without prejudice to any provision of this constitution,assume emergency power to contain the emergency situation,





provided the General assembly shall be informed as soon aspracticable, of use of such emergency powers.

iii. Changes in the Executive board of NAHSAG must be brought tonotification of the supervisory council and NAHSAG affilia teinstitutions.

iv. The executive Board shall appoint the coordinating Secretary,representatives to external affiliates, project coordinators and ad hoc

committee members.v. Ad hoc committee reports shall be implemented upon consideration by theExecutive boar d

vi. Shall be responsible for the collation, review and publication of all reportsof NAHSAG in the Associations publications

vii. The Executive Board shall nominate deserving persons for honoraryLife Membership

viii. The Executive Board shall meet the committee of Pre sidents at leastonce during their term of office

ix. The Executive Board shall convene at least one meeting with thesupervisory council during their term of office

x. The other Members of the Executive Board together with the treasure shalldevelop and initiate fundraising activities

xi. The Executive Board shall organize a congress annually

ARTICLE 8 (FUNCTION OF EXECTIVE BOARD)

A. PRESIDENT i. Presides over all assemblies and Executive Board meeting except congressii. Leads the Association’s delegate to all local and inte rnational meetings,

unless otherwise determined by the Executive Boardiii. Represent the Association at all meetings unless otherwise determined by

the Executive Boardiv. Shall convene the Executive Board and committee of Presidents meetingv. Shall present the annual report of NAHSAG at congressvi. Shall coordinate activities of the Executive Boardvii. Shall convene a joint executive and committee of Presidents meetings

B. 1ST VICE PRESIDENTi. Shall assume the functions of the President when the President is unable

by reason of illness or other incapability to discharge his duties.ii. Shall be responsible for the efficient working of the internal liaisonsiii. Shall update the executive Board on activities of NAHSAG Internal

Liaisons representatives to internal affiliatesiv. Shall contact every Member Association’s President individually at least

once a year ( such contacts with discussions shall be put on record)v. Shall compile for the Executive Board a satisfactory survey on NAHSAG

from presidents of Member Associations twice yearly duri ng the term of office





C. 2ND VICE PRESIDENTi. Shall act as the President in the absence of the President and 1 ST vice-

President ii. Shall be responsible for the efficient working of NAHSAG representatives

to NAHSAG external affiliates

iii.

Shall update the Executive Board on activities of all the various NAHSAGrepresentativesiv. Shall together with the coordinating secretary and the General Secretary

develop NAHSAG publication/manualsD. GENERAL SECRETARY

i. Shall act as President in the absence of the president, 1 st vice p resident and2nd vice president

ii. Shall be responsible for minutes of all executive Board meetings and congressiii. Shall keep accurate records of proceedings of all Executive meetings and

congressiv. Shall act with the 2 nd vice president and the coordinating Secretary to develop

NAHSAG publication/manualsv. Shall together with the coordinating Secretary organize all NAHSAG press

conferenceE. TREASURE/FINANCIAL SECRETARY

i. Receive and collect all monies for the Associationii. Keep an up to date and detailed account of the Association’s funds and in

this regards, act as an internal auditoriii. Produce a quarterly summary of the account of the Association to the

Executive Board.iv. Shall keep detailed records of dues from member Associationsv. Shall together with the Executive Board develop and initiate NAHSAG

fundraising activitiesvi. Shall make available a signed and audited NAHSAG financial statement at

congressF. COORDINATING SECRETARY

i. Shall be the administrative officer of NAHSAGii. Shall liaise between the supervisory council and the Exe cutive Board of

NAHSAG iii. Shall carry out functions approved by the Executive Boardiv. Shall assume the duties of the 1 st vice president and or the 2 nd vice

president in their absencev. Shall together with the 2 nd vice president and the General Secretary

develop NAHSAG publications/manualsvi. Shall together with the General Secretary organize NAHSAG press

conferences





ARTICLE 9 (LIAISONS/REPRESENTATIVES)

A. NAHSAG liaison shall be: i. Internal liaison(I)ii. Internal liaison (II)

Functions:

i. Internal liaison Officer (s) (I)a. Shall liaise between NAHSAG and other Student Associationsb. Shall liaise between NAHSAG and their parent Associationsc. Shall report on their activities to the 1 st vice president

ii. Internal liaison Officer (s) (II)a. Shall liaise between NAHSAG and other Student Associations

b. Shall report on their activities to the 2 nd vice president

B. NAHSAG representativea. Shall liaise between NAHSAG and external affiliates of NAHSAGb. Shall report on their activities to the 2 nd vice president

ARTICLE 10 (SUPERVISOR COUNCIL)

a. Shall be an advisory body to the Executive Board of NAHSAGb. Shall facilitate the activities/programs of NAHSAGc. Shall meet Executive Board of NAHSAG at least once a yeard. Shall review and advice on NAHSAG reports

ARTICLE 11 (COMMITTEES)

There shall be standing committees which shall comprise;

a.

Audit committeeb. Committee of Presidents (COP)c. Ad hoc/special committees

A. Audit Committeei. Shall audit accounts of the Associationii. Shall present a final Audited report to be read out by the chief auditor at

congress





B. Committee of Presidents (COP ) i. The committee of presidents shall be made up of all Member Associationsii. The committee of presidents shall meet at least once during their term of

office iii. The committee of presidents shall meet with the executive Board prior to

congress and deliberate on amendments and other issues on interestregarding congress

iv. Members of the committee of presidents shall participate during congressand not necessarily delegates

v. There shall be a chairman of the committee of presidents chosen fromamongst them who shall be the chairperson at congress

vi. Shall appoint members of the audit Committee at least two weeks beforeannual congress.

C. Ad hoc/ special committees

All other Ad hoc committees shall be set upon by the Executive Board to dealwith specific is sues.

ARTICLE 12 (GENERAL ASSEMBLY (GA))

A. General

i. Shall be the highest legislative body, and decisions taken at a GeneralAssembly shall be binding on all member Associations

ii. The general assembly shall approve and grant honorary Life Membership

to deservi ng individuals iii. The General Assembly shall be in public, unless the general Assembly

determines to the contraryiv. Reports to be read include; annual report of presidents and financial

reports of the audit committee, and any other report of Ad hoc committee.B. Motions

i. Any motion of the general Assembly shall not be valid unless at the timeof voting there are full members present who represents the privileges of at least 1/3 of all full Members

ii. The general assembly shall have the power to remove any or all membe rsof the executive Board upon statutory behavior.

iii. The house shall approve of (I) above with a 2/3 majority excludingabstentions

iv. With the exception of (ii) and article 13 B (ii) discussions of the GeneralAssembly shall pass by popular acclamations, or in case of voting, bysimple majority.





ARTICLE 13 (MEETINGS/STANDING ORDERS)

A. Constitution

i. The constitution shall be reviewed every two years by a constitutionalreview committee (CRC) which shall be appointed by the ExecutiveBoard, in this regard this document shall be reviewed two years from theyear of acceptance

B. Amendmentsi. Amendments to bi - laws shall be done yearly at congressii. Any resolution to amend or repeal any part(s) of this constitution shall be

passed by 2/3 majority of all members of the National Associations at theGeneral Assembly ( excluding abstentions)

iii. Notice of proposed amendment shall reach the NAHSAG secretariat atleast two months before congress.

iv. The Executive Board through the General secretary shall notify theCommittee of Presidents one clear months (30days) prior to congress

v. All amendments shall be deemed to take effect immediately after votingvi. Amendments to bi - laws shall be passed by simple majority

ARTICLE 14 (TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS)

i. The proposed constitution shall be adopted by the simple majority of memberinstitution Presidents who shall assume the role of COP and shall appendsignatures and seals to the constitutional document to signify same.

ii. The Committee of Presidents shall nominate and elect Member to the executiveBoard

iii. The members of the Executive Board shall be in office from June 2005 throughFebruary 2007

iv. The above provisions are to enable the passage of the NAHSAG constitution andfacilitate the operation of same, pending a General Assembly of NAHSAG toadopt the c onstitution without the transitional provisions, and elect newofficers to the executive Board at congress

v. The first congress of NAHSAG shall be held before February 2007.

STANDING ORDERSARTICLE 1 (CHAIRPERSON OF THE SESSION)

1. The Chairperson of the Committee of Presidents shall be the Chairperson of congress

2. If the Chairperson wishes to take part in the discussion then, he/she shall hand thechair to another President from among the COP





ARTICLE 2 (ASSISTANCE)

1. The General Secretary and the coordinating secretary shall assist the chairpersonin his/her duties, shall advice him/her on the interpretation of the constitution andthe standing orders, shall receive Motions from the Motions committee, presentthem to the Chairperson and keep records of the proceed ings

2. All other executives shall assist the Chairperson in his/her duties and provideinformation to the GA in their official capacities

3. The General secretary shall appoint, at the beginning of the meeting, a MotionsCommittee( (MC) to receive Motions, assist the General Assembly in preparingMotions and ensure the smooth running of the GA

4. The General Assembly shall appoint the scrutinizers who may not be officialdelegates from a voting Member Association or be on the Executive Board. Thescrutinizers shall examine and count vote and oversee the voting procedure.

ARTICLE 3 (PRIVILEGES)

1. Speaking privilegesa. All congress participants and persons giving assistance to the General

Assembly shall have speaking privileges during the GAb. Speaking privileges shall include the right to address the GA, raise points

of information and points of order, but not to propose or second.c. The Chairperson has the right to remove the speaking privilege form any

participant who is disrupting the GA.2. Voting right

a. A full Member shall have privilege: each full member has one voteb. Voting privileges shall include the right to propose and second motions

c. Full members are entitled to voting privileges during a GA session, only if their official delegates are officially accredited and registered according to thedomestic rules and present at the roll call, at the beginning of the GA session.

d. Absence of the official delegate(s) during the roll call shall lead to thesuspension of voting privileges. If the absence is approved by the chairperson,voting privileges may be returned before the next roll call, at the discretion of the chairperson. Voting privileges shall not be returned if there is a motion onthe table.

e. A full member, who is unable to attend GA, may mandate another Fullmember with s peaking and voting privileges to vote on his behalf providedthat

i. Such a mandate is sent in writing to the General Secretary beforethe opening of the GA.

ii. The mandate is signed by the President and NAHSAG liaison of afull Member that is absent

iii. Such a mandate does not include the right to propose and secondMotions.





Each full Member may represent by mandate, only one other full member. The mandateshall be overruled if a properly accredited official delegate from that organization arrivesat the congress.

A RTICLE 4 (VOTING ON MOTIONS)

1. Voting shall take place by showing of voting cards.2. Voting cards shall be distributed after s full member present has been deemed

present at the role call at the beginning of each GA session.3. Each member organization present and having voting rights must vote.a. Voting by secret ballot shall be taken if requested by one official delegate this

request taking precedence over all other forms of votingb. The Chairperson must specify the alternative that can be written on the ballot

pape r c. An individual ballot shall be considered spoilt if what is written on the ballot

paper is different to the alternative specified by the Chairperson.4. A recount may be asked for by any official delegate or scrutinizer immediately

following the original vote. The official delegate must vote in the same way asthey did in the original vote.

5. No interruptions at all shall be allowed during the vote or during the counting.

ARTICLE 5 (conduct of the meeting)

1. Every speaker shall address himself/herself solely to the Chairperson. Everyspeaker must state his/her name and organization or status before addressing theGA

2. The chairperson shall equalize the time given to speeches for, speeches againstand speeches abstaining from all Motions

3. The debate must be limited to the subject being discussed and the Chairpersonshould bring back to order any speaker failing to adhere to the subject underdiscussion.

4. A “point of order” must be heard at all times except during the act of voting.

It must deal with the conduct of GA, transgression of the constitution or standingOrders,

Or calling attention to the introduction of matters not relevant to the Motion underdiscussion

A point of order is debatable.

When calling a point of order, a delegate may ask for a ruling from thechairperson on any part of the constitution or Standing orders, provided that thepoint is a relevant one

5. A “point of information” is one where information is asked for, asked from, orgiven to the speaker. It must be heard at all times except during the act of voting.A point of information must be relevant to the subject under discussion





ARTICLE 6 (program of Business)

1. The program of any meeting of the General assembly shall be drafted up by theExecutive Board. During the course of the meeting, the Chairpers on shallregulate sessions subject to any procedural Motion which the General Assemblymay adopt.

2. The business of the General Assembly shall be arranged as follows:i. Opening of the meeting.ii. Credentials report, roll call of delegatesiii. Appointment of chairpers on iv. Appointment of motions committee, scrutinizersv. Adoption of Agendavi. Greetings to the meeting and apologies for absencevii. Appointment of auditing Committeeviii. Adoption of the minutes of the previous General Assembly, with

Amendments if requiredix. Application for Membership and organizations losing their membership

x. To receive, and approved, adopt the annual report of a. President b. Treasurer/ financial Secretary (audit report)c. Chairperson of information and educationd. Sub- committees and working groups.

xi. To receive, and if approved, adopt thea. Audit committee reportb. Any other special committee report

xii. Motions to change the constitution, domestic rules and standing Ordersxiii. Future congressesxiv. Any motion, shall be accorded such order of preference as may be decided

upon by the Executive Board in arranging the agendaxv. To receive, and if approved, adopt the budget for the following yearxvi. To receive, and if approved, adopt the NAHSAG annual reportxvii. Appointment of subcommitteesxviii. Election of honorary Life Membersxix. Election of executive Boa rd xx. Any other Businessxxi. Closure of meeting

3. With the approval of the General Assembly, agenda items may be postponed

ARTICLE 7 (parliamentary activity)

1. Motionsa. All motions (except procedural motions) for the presentation to the General

assembly, must be submitted in writing to the Motions committee, and shallbe prefaced by the words “The xx General Assembly…..”





b. The executives may propose Motions which need not be seconded. All otherMotions must have a proposer and a seconder who cannot belong to the sameorganization

c. Un-opposed Motions, accepting reports and application for membership of NAHSAG do not need to have proposer and seconder. They shall beprecedent by the words “The xx General Assembly accept and adopts thereports of the NAHSAG….” of “This xx General Assembly accepts….

(Organization) of …. (Member) as a…. (Liaison) of NAHSAG and welcomesthem to the Association.d. Once the Motion is seconded, the proposer shall have the right to speak and

the Motion shall then be free for discussion.e. Once the procedural Motion to close debate has passed, ca summing up

speech for, against and abstaining from the Motion may be given.

No new information may be given after the close of the debate.

f. If there is no discussion on the motion, the chairperson shall have the right to

call for a vote on the Motion, without first calling a procedural motion to closediscussion on the Motion.g. Upon request from official delegate, the Chairperson may grant a short

intermission in the meeting (a recess) for a state of period. The purp ose beingto discuss the Motion on the floor within one’s own delegates.

h. No further discussion on the Motion shall be heard after the recess.i. A motion is withdrawn:

i. When the proposer is not present at that session of the GeneralAssembly

ii. With the consent of the proposer and the seconder.

Any Motion that is withdrawn, shall be open to the other delegates and executive

members to propose the same Motion, provided that is done immediately after

such withdrawal.

j. A motion previously voted upon during the current meeting, may bereconsidered. A motion to reconsider (procedural Motion) can only originatefrom an official delegate, who voted on the Motion in question or anExecutive Member.

k. In accordance with the Standing Orders, in coming Executives shall have theright to propose a Motion to appoint a person to a vacant position.

2. Amendmentsa. An amendment may be incorporated into a Motion immediately, with the

approval of the proposer and the seconder of that Motion. In all cases, theamendment must be moved, seconded and discussed in accordance withprocedure for motions as outlined in the Standing orders





b. An amendment to a Motion becomes the property of the proposer of theoriginal Motion, provided that he/she accepts the Amendment

c. If the amendment is not accepted by the proposer of the original Motion, thenthe amendment becomes the property of the proposer of the amendment. If theamendment is passed, the Motion becomes the property of the proposer of theAmendment.

3.

Procedural Motion s Procedural Motions, unless otherwise stated below, must be moved, seconded anddiscussed in accordance with the procedure for the Motions as outline in Article7.1 of the standing orders.

No abstentions shall be considered when voting on procedural moti ons.a. A motion to close the subject under discussion

Not amendable or debatableb. A motion to reconsider a Motion

Debatable, but not amendable. If the Motion to reconsider is passed; theoriginal Motion may be re -debated and re -voted upon.

c. A motion for the adjustment of the meeting for a stated period.Debatable, but not amendable. If the motion is carried, the meeting shall bedissolved for the period so stated, and no vote shall be taken on any motion.

d. A motion that the subject under discussion “lie on the table”. Debatable, but not amendable. If carried, discussion and voting on theoriginal Motion will be postponed to a later date. This allows the participantsdiscuss the Motion and gather more information if needed, outside the GA

e. Challenges to the Chairperson’s ruling

Not amendable, but debatablef. A motion to censure on the Chairperson

Not amendable, but debatableg. A vote of “No confidence” in the Chairperson

Not amendable, but debatableh. A motion to suspend the Standing Orders in part or in whole

Not amendable, but debatablei. A motion to resume the Standing Orders in part or whole

Not amendable, but debatable j. A motion to extend or limit the duration of debates

Not amendable, but debatable.k. A motion to vote on a Motion in parts

Not amendable, but debatablel. A motion to refer to Sub -Committee

Not amendable, but debatablem. A motion that the question be not put

Not amendable and not debatable





ARTICLE 8 (election of member Organizations bidding to host a future congress of the federation)

1. Nominationsa. A member Association applying to host a NAHSAG congress shall be am

member of the Association for at least one year.b. The General assembly shall elect members organizations which will host the

annual NAHSAG congress one year in advance

c. All member organizations applying to host a NAHSAG congress shall notifythe Executive Board of their intention to do so, at least two months prior to thecongress where the applications will be considered.

d. A meeting with the Member organizations applying to host the NAHSAGcongress shall be held with the Executive Committee prior to election of thehost.

e. Member organizations applying to host a NAHSAG congress with no delegatepresent in the congress shall write justification for the representatives’ absencetogether with the nomination.

2. Cond

ucting of electing congress hosta. A roll call shall be taken before the beginning of election of the host of afuture congress

b. Doors shall be locked during the election procedurec. Potential hosts shall present their bids in the order in which their applicati ons

were receivedd. The presentation by the potential hosts shall be limited to ten minutese. The potential hosts must be available to answer questions from participants of

the General Assembly concerning General aspects of the bid.f. All questions asked to potential host must be asked to each applicantg. Representatives from potential hosts shall be excluded from the election room

after the final question, until the completion of the voting procedure.3. Voting procedure

a. Before proceeding to vote, an open discussion shall be held b. All voting shall be carried out by secret ballotc. If the representative of the potential host is also the official delegate, the

representative of the potential host shall mandate his/her vote to another fullmember Organization till the completion of the voting process

d. Voting shall be by the names of the organization bidding to host congress by

registering a vote to “reopen nominations”e. No interruption shall be allowed until the results are announcedf. A simple majority (50%+1) is required for the potential host be elected. If the

potential host does not receive a simple majority, the position for host of NAHSAG congress remains vacant.

g. In the event of two potential hosts receiving the same number of votes, thevotes shall be repeated after a break. If both potential hosts then receive thesame votes again, the casting of votes shall be given to the ExecutiveCommittee.




http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-supreme-constitution-of-the-national-health-students-associstion-of-ghana 17/27 17

In the event that a potential host in not found, it shall be up to the incomingExecutive Committee to find a host.

ARTICLE 9 (election of member organization bidding to host a future NAHSAGevent)

1. Definition “NAHSAG event” shall be understood as all activities (congress, symposia, fora,

and workshop.etc) approved by the NAHSAG General Assembly as a NAHSAGevent

2. Nominations

A membe r Association applying to host a NAHSAG event shall be a member of the Association for at least one year. The General Assembly shall elect Members organizations which will host theannual NAHSAG event one year in advance All Member organizations applying to host the event shall be held with theexecutive Board prior to election of the host Member organizations applying to host NAHSAG events with no delegatespresent in congress, shall write a justification for the representative’s absencetogether with the nomination from.

3. Conduct of electing event hosts As stated in the article 8.2 of these standing Orders

4. Voting procedures As stated in the article 8.3 of these Standing Orders

5. In the event that a potential host is not found, the Executive Board shall ac t

as stipulated in 7.2ii

ARTICLE 10 (election of Executives of the Federation)

1. Election Notification a. Before elections, the General Secretary shall circulate, with the notice of the

meeting, and agenda and the credential forms for the General Assembly,not ifications that elections are to be held, and that nominations are required.

b. A meeting of potential candidates for the Executive Board shall be held inorder to explain what the office entails. This meeting shall be held before thenominations are due.





2. Nominations.a. All nominees must be Members of a NAHSAG Member organization or an

individual member and a student or recent graduate (alumni) as defined in thisconstitution.

b. All nominees must have attended at least one previous General Assembly.c. Nominations shall only be accepted on the official nomination forms.d. Candidates shall nominate themselves for Executive Board positions and

approval by the member Association.e. Properly completed and signed nomination forms must be placed in the handsof the General Secretary (or when necessary, person appointed by theExecutive Board) not later than midnight of the second day preceding theelections.

f. Candidates not present in the congress shall write a proper justification for theabsence together with the nomination form.

g. All nominations concerning elections candidates shall be displayed from theday nomination closes.

h. No NMA shall present more than 2 candidates for an Executive Boardposition

i. No NMA shall hold Executive position for two consecutive times3. Conduct of Elections

i. Elections shall be carried out in the following order. President, vice President1&2, General Secretary, Financial Sectary/treasurer.

ii. A roll call shall be taken before the beginning of the election procedure foreach EB position.

iii. Doors shall be locked during election procedure for each positioniv. Candidates for the same position shall be presented in the order in which their

nominations were received.v. The candidate shall have the right to speak for him/herself, the speech being

limited to three min utes. vi. Candidates must be available to answer questions from participants

concerning such office and duties of such office as stated in the domestic rulesvii. All questions must be asked to each candidate

viii. Candidates shall be excluded from the election room after the final question,until completion of the voting procedure.

The procedural Motion that can be used during elections are procedural Motions

a, e, f and g ( standing Orders article 7)

4. Electing/ voting procedurea. Before proceeding to vote an open discussion about the candidate may be heldb. All voting shall be carried out by secret ballotc. If a candidate is the only official delegate from the organization, the candidate

must mandate his/her vote to another full Member organization. The fullMember organization shall receive its voting privileges back after thecompletion of the voting procedure.





d. Voting shall be by the name of the candidate or by registering a vote to a“reopen nomination”

e. No interruptions shall be allowed until the results are announcedf. A recount may be requested by an official delegate or a scrutinizer after the

votes have been counted (this is NOT a re - vote!!!)g. If only one nomination has been received for a particular office, the candidate

shall be elected upon receiving a majority (50%+1) of the votes cast. If the

candidate does not receive a majority, the office remains vacant.h. If there are two candidates for the particular office, the candidate receivingmajority (50%+1) is elected. If neither candidate receives a majority, thenneither is elected and the office remains vacant.

i. If there are more than two candidates for a particular office, the candidatereceiving a majority of votes shall be deemed elected. If none of thecandidates receive a majority then;

a. There shall be consecutives ballots in which the candidate receivingthe least number of votes in each ballot shall be eliminated from thelist of candidates.Ballots should be held consecutively until one candidate has receiveda majority of votes.

b. In case there are two candidates simultaneously receiving the samenumber of least votes, a ballot shall be taken between them as towhom to be eliminated.

j. In the event of two candidates receiving the same of votes; the vote shall berepeated after a break. If both candidates then receive the same votes again,the casting vote shall made by a committee consisting of the outgoingExecutive Board (excluding any candidates in the election) and the newly

elected executive officers.5. Filling Vacant Positions

a. In the event of any Executive office remaining vacant after the above electionprocedure, nominations for those positions shall be accepted after a fifteenminute break.

b. Any particular fulfilling article 10.2a of these Standing Orders may vacantoffices provided that he was not defeated for that position in the first round of elections.

c. The election procedure for the second round of elections shall be detailed inarticle 10.3 and 10.4 of these Standing orders.

d. It is only possible for the two different positions during one generalAssembly.

e. In the ev ent of any Executive office remaining vacant after 10.5a to d, havebeen compiled, the Executive Board, with due consideration of therecommendation of the outgoing Executives, may appoint someone to theposition with the approval of the General Assembly under point xx of theagenda.





ARTICLE 11 (Election of Honorary Life Members of the Federation)

a. A nomination of honorary Life Members of the Association must be submitted inwriting to the Motions Committee on the official motions forms

b. These Motions shall have the same requirement as Motions discussed underarticle 7 of these Standing Orders

c. Voting shall take place by secret ballot.

APPENDIX 1 (Voting by Correspondence)

In the event of there not being a General Assembly, it shall be within the power o f theExecutive Board to take a vote by correspondence on any urgent issues.

Voting by correspondence shall be carried out in the following manner

1.

By unanimous decision only, the Executive can ask all the full MemberOrganizations to vote by correspondence2. The General Secretary must circulate the Motion, and all relevant background

information, to all full Member organizations by registered post, fax email andany available means to ensure that the Motions reach all the Members.An official voting paper shall also be circulated

3. As soon as the Motion is received, the full Member Organization must notify theGeneral Secretary or the Coordinating Secretary.

4. The full Member organization shall return their vote, on the official voting paperto reach the General Secretary by the deadline specified.

5. The vote shall only be counted if the votes of one third of all the full Memberorganizations are received by the deadline.

6. The result of the count shall be interrupted according to the constitution7. After the deadline, the General Secretary shall notify all members of the results,

and initiate any necessary action, within one month of the count.





DOMESTIC RULES & REGULATIONS (BYE LAWS)

It shall have its regulations from articles in the NAHSAG constitution.

Regulation on Article 1

1.1 No persons or Associations or organizations shall use NAHSAG name, logo andmotto without prior approval from the Executive Board of NAHSAG

1.2 The official logo of NAHSAG can only be used by its officials

Regulation on Article 3 & 4

4.1 General

i. NAHSAG shall recognize its full Members as National Member Association(NMA)

ii. A NMA shall be a representative National Health Students Association as fromany recognized Health Institution In Ghana.

iii. There shall be not more than one representative from a National Health Institution

running a similar course program except when their awarding qualifications areeither degree or diploma.

iv. In the case of 4.1 (iii) an NMA shall represent the National Health StudentAssociation from among diploma and deg ree programs.

4.2 Whenever an NMA fails to fulfill their status requirement as listed in theregulations to obtain and maintain Membership, the Executive Board shall submita Motion for a possible change in status to the General assembly.

4.3 All Members are free to resign from NAHSAG six months after six months afterthe General Secretary/EB has received a written notice signed by the President of

the Association. During this six months all debts and commitments shall befulfilled. 4.4 Full and Associate member must pay an annual Membership fee to NAHSAG.

The amount shall be determined by the GA at NAHSAG annual congress4.5 Only full, Associate and COP members shall participate in NAHSAG activities.

Observers are permitted at NAHSAG meetings and events.4.6 An NMA shall be of “good standing” if it owes no financial commitment of

NAHSAG4.7 An NMA benefiting NAHSAG shall include

i. Speaking, proposing and voting rights at congress.ii. Its Members shall be eligible to stand for election at congress

iii. Its Members shall be qualified for NAHSAG appointments into as hoccommittees and as liaison and NAHSAG representatives.

iv. Support from NAHSAG Executive Board for where possible for NMAfund-raising and other assistance an NMA deem it fit from NAHSAG

v. Shall enjoy and participate in all NAHSAG pro jects vi. Regulations to obtain and maintain Membership of NAHSAG





A. Full Membershipi. To obtain and maintain full Membership, all Association must meet the

following requirement. a. The NMA must represent Health Students from a recognized Health

Institution in the country ( Ghana) b. NMA must have been in existence for at least 5 years prior to

application to be a NAHSAG NMA c.

Shall have included an activities report in its application d. The applying Health Students Association for full Membership shouldsubmit application to the General Secretary/EB six months beforecongress in the year it wants full Membership

e. Congress shall upon consideration of 4.8 A(i) and (ii) grant fullMembership to deserving application

f. An NMA shall be suspended/loss Membership as in 4.2 deems tosuspend/lose NMA to here Membership two -thirds majority

g. Full Membership status shall be revoked if NMA has outstanding 2years dues arrears

B. Associate MembershipTo obtain and maintain Associate Membership, all Associations must meet thefollowing requireme nt.

a. Shall be other Student Association whose activities have a bearing onHealth

b. Shall apply six months before congress in the year it wantsMembership

c. All applications shall be sent to the General Secretaryd. They shall pay Membership fees which shall be determined by

congresse. They shall have speaking and proposing rights at congress, but not

voting rightsf. They shall not be eligible for NAHSAG Executive Board, liaison and

representative positions . C. Honorary Membership

a. Only persons can be honorary Life Membe rs b. The GA can elect Honorary Life Members at congress, the elections

are done by ballot and requires two -thirds majority. The status shallbe granted to persons who greatly contributed to the achievement andaims of NAHSAG

c. Health Students cannot be elected as honorary Life Members. Alumnicannot be considered for the same until 3 years after graduating

d. Shall pay no Membership fees.e. Shall be invited to NAHSAG meetings and eventsf. The GA can take away the honorary Membership from a person when

he/she has violated the constitution or bye - laws or when he has done





considerable harm to NAHSAG such a decision requires two -thirdsmajority

D. Alumni Membershipa. Shall be alumni of member Association b. Shall stand for EB elections up to two years upon graduation c. Shall pay zero (0) Membership fees to NAHSAG

E. Friends of NAHSAG

a.

Shall be a personb. Should have supported or advanced the aims of NAHSAG bothmorally and financially.

c. Would be conferred on deserving personalities at congress by two -third majority.

Regulation on Article 6 and 7

7.1 Supervisory council (SC)

a. Shall be nominated by the Executive Board (EB) in consultation with theCommittee of Presidents (COP). Discussions to include any such persons into thesupervisory council should be by two -third majority votes of the EB

b. The EB shall have meetings once during their term of officec. The SC Members should be supplied with annual activity report on NAHSAG by

the EBd. They shall be accorded the observer status should Member attend NAHSAG

meetings or evente. Shall be the source of explicit advice on all issues to the EB

f.

Its Members shall have to sign an annual commitment fee to NAHSAG.

General Assembly Meeting (GA)

A. Generala. Meeting of the GA of NAHSAG shall be held during congress. NAHSAG

congresses may commence on Friday through to Sunday, and shall be heldonce in a year

b. Congress shall be hosted by an NMA or otherwise determined by the EBc. No NMA shall exceed 5 delegates to the GA. Alumni can participate

outside this quota as delegates of their NMA, provided that enough placesare a vailable d. The General program at congress shall be as follows:

Friday

i. Business meeting





Saturday

i. Business meeting continueii. Voting

iii. Dinner

iv Departuree. Congress shall be convened by the President of NAHSAGB. Prior Congress Letters

a. Shall be sent to all NMAsb. To Committee of Presidentc. Shall be sent to all observersd. Associate Memberse. NAHSAG officialsf. NAHSAG af filiates

g. Honorary Life Members

These letters shall be stamped and signed by the NAHSAG President

C. Observers to congressa. Supervisory Councilb. Delegates from organizations with official relationshipc. Invited guestsd. Any health Student in required Institution

D. Me etingsa. Chairperson

There shall be a chairperson of the COP chosen from among them, who shall bethe Chairperson at the congress

b. SecretaryShall be the General as defined in article 8(d)

c. Delegates

Shall be a person nominated from each NMA in good standing t o representhis/her Member Association at congress.

d. ObserversAs indicated in 7.2(c)

E. Procedure at meetings ( As per Standing Orders)a. Each delegate shall be entitled to one voteb. Voting privileges shall include the right of delegates to make or second a

Mot ion c. All Motions must have a proposer and a seconder





d. The proposer shall have a right to explain his Motion before the Motion isseconded

e. The Motion shall be opened to discussionf. The mover and the seconder of a substantive Motion shall have the right to

Amendment and if accepted, shall be part of the substantive Motiong. A rejected Amendment shall be put to the house at the insistence of the

mover of the Amendment

h.

No other Amendment shall be discussed until that other consideration hasbeen dealt withi. The debate must dealt with the subject being discussed

j. The chairperson shall bring back to order, any speaker failing to adhere tothe subject under discussion

k. A point of order must be heard at all times during delibration, except duringthe act of voting. It must deal with the conduct of procedure of meeting andconcern only indecorum transgression, standing orders, and call attention tothe introduction of matters not pertaining to the subject under consideration.

l. In the event of any delegate using the point of order to make statement,which are not directly related to defined concern, he/she shall be called toorder by the Chairperson, in the event of any delegate being warned on twooccasions during a GA meeting, he/she shall personally lose the right to usethe point of order during the meeting

m. A point of information is one where the information if asked for, from orgiven to a speaker. The information is desired of the person holding thefloor, he may decide whether or not he wishes to be interrupted at that ti me.

n. In the event of delegate using a point of information to make statements thatare not directly related to the defined concerns of it, he/she shall be called to

order by the chairperson. In the event of delegate being so warned on twooccasions during GA meeting, he/she shall personally lose the right to usethe point of information for the rest of the meeting.

o. The chairperson shall equalize the time for discussion for and against allmotion except the majority of delegate decide the contrary. At anytime , adelegate may ask for a ruling from the chair on any point of the constitutionor bye - laws provided that the point is relevant and this direction shall beasked for and given on a point of order.

p. In the debate of any question, each delegate shall have a right to speak except that a member who has already spoke on a question cannot make asecond speech on the same question so long as a member who has notspoken desires the floor

q. Every speaker shall address him/herself solely to the chairperson. If two ormore members rise to speak at the same time, precedence shall be given tohim who first catches the attention of the chairperson

r. A motion can be submitted at all during the sitting of the house.





F. Voting

Instate that:

i. Majorities will be defined as

a. A s imple majority - more votes in favour than against. Abstentions do not countb. Two -thirds majority - the number of votes in favour is at least the double of the

number against. Abstentions do not count

ii. The chairperson will call the delegation with voting right and ask for their votes.When called the delegation has to clearly show its voting card.

G. Roll call and voting cardsa. The official voting cards will be produced on bright paper indicating the

delegates NMAb. At the start of the GA meeting, the chair must do a roll call ; all delegates with

voting right will be called to see if they are present. Official voting card will behanded over to the delegates who are present, the results of the roll call will berecorded and in cooperated into minutes

c. If any delegate subsequently joins or leaves the session, they have to inform thechair who will hand out or take back the voting card

d. Delegates who fail to return their voting cards before leaving the session losetheir voting rights for the rest of the meeting.

H. Election ( as per standing orders)

Regulations

A. Executive Boarda. The EB shall meet at least five times during their term of office.b. The quorum for an EB meeting is the total number of EB members minus threec. All EB members have one vote at EB meeting with the exception of the

coordinating secretaryd. The EB shall take decisions with a simple majority

B. Liaisonsa. Except for the internal liaison(s), all other liaison and NAHSAG

representatives shall be appointed by the EBb. Internal liaison(s) shall be appointed by their respective NMAsc. NMAs represented on the EB shall not be eligible for NAHSAG

representative position

Definitions

1. Financial Statement





Shall include the profit and loss account of NAHSAG, balance sheet andcredited/debted schedules

2. NAHSAG accountNAHSAG shall open an account with a reputable bank with the President,Treasurer/Financial Secretary and General Secretary being signatories to theaccount.

3. Parent Association

The corresponding professional bodies/Association of an NMA4. Local/ External AffiliatesLocal affiliates: official relations between NAHSAG and local agenciesExternal affiliates: official relations between NAHSAG and international agencies

5. Good StandingAn NMA in which has paid up all dues fully and conformed to all other regulations



Documents

The Supreme Constitution of the National Health Students Associstion of Ghana ( Nahsag)