Constitution

Aims and Objectives:

The association shall be non-party, non-political, non-sectarian and non-profit making body and shall have the following aims and objectives.

To encourage and advance the study and practice of the science and art of Orthopaedic Surgery.
To promote professional fellowship, co-operation and exchange of views among Orthopaedic Surgeons of Kerala and neighbouring states.
To encourage scientific research and experimental work on Orthopaedic problems.
To hold scientific discussions and arrange presentation of Orthopaedic papers and maintain a reference library.
To provide for delivery and holding of lectures, meetings and classes for advancing the cause of Orthopaedics.
To publish a bulletin of the activities of the association.
To hold movable and immovable properties that may be necessary or advantageous for the aforesaid objects, to purchase and sell rent, lease and to mortgage the same for the purpose of the association.
To construct, alter or maintain any building and or property necessary to finance the Association.
To receive donation for the development of the Association and subscription from members. Donations for instituting awards and orations and prizes of the Association will only be accepted after prior permission of the Executive committee of the Association.
To Co-operate with other Medical Professional organizations of the State.
To make bye-laws, rules and regulations of the Association and to delete change or add to the same as and when necessary after prior approval of the Executive Committee of the Association.
To do all such other things as may be incidental to (or) conducive to the attainment of all (or) any of the above objects.

The format of the CME shall be as follows:

Registration : 8.00 am. onwards
Inauguration : 9.00 – 9.30 a.m. This should be fast and matter of fact meeting without any fanfare speeches

Dignitaries on Dais:

President of KOA
Hon. Secretary of KOA
President of Local club organising the CME
Hon. Secratary of local club.
Local Organising Chairman
Local Organising Secretary

Programme:

Welcome of Dignitaries & Faculty Members by Organising Chairman
Inauguration by President
Presidential address
Felicitation by the President of Local club
Felicitation by the Hon. Secretary of KOA
Vote of Thanks by Organising Secretary

Main Programme : 9.30 am. – 5.00 p.m (with a short lunch break)
This shall consist of didactic lectures of 25 minutes with 5 minutes extra for discussions, short symposia, panel discussion etc. In selecting guest speakers from amongst members proper consideration shall be given to the following:

Avoid repetition of speakers over the years.
Encourage fresh talent from amongst younger members.
A wide national spectrum

State Orthopaedic Quiz:

The Annual Orthopaedic Quiz during KOACON is open for post graduate students & junior Orthopaedic surgeons only (Less than 35 years on the 31st January of the day of the conference) Teams of 2 post graduates each shall be nominated by the individual clubs and all five medical colleges, and informed through respective club Secretaries to the Local Organising Secretary at least one month before the conference. (One team per club and one team from each of the five medical colleges) Five teams who qualify in the preliminary round will compete in the final round. The quiz shall be conducted during the conference on SUNDAY after the AGB by the Chairman of the committee for the Quiz co-opted by the Executive Committee. The Chairman shall function for one year and shall appoint 4-5 members to assist him in developing the question bank. Sponsorship for the quiz can be raised by the Quiz Chairman. There should be at least 10 rounds with change in direction at the middle (after 5 rounds).The format for the quiz shall be subject to modification by Quiz Chairman. The Quiz Chairman will be considered as a KOA member faculty.
Suggested format:

A written test (on the 2nd day of the conference consisting of 50 questions to be individually answered by contestants as team from each club. The five best teams will be selected for the final round.
Finals: 5 teams will be shown visuals and asked questions by rotation. Direct questions may also be asked without visuals.

Facilities for Scientific Delibrations:

The conduct of the scientific programme of the conference is the most important aspect of organizing a conference. The local Organising committee shall ensure that the facilities for proper audio-visuals, seating arrangements / drinking water / rest rooms, etc. are made available depending upon the project number of participants for each event. Over crowding at various venues leading to dissent amongst delegates should be avoided.
Main Conference: CME/Orations / Conference Lectures if organized in plenary sessions.

Main auditorium with a capacity of 700 along with audio-visual facilities for projection in two satellite halls of capacity of 100 each.
A podium with KOA emblem displayed on it. Green, Yellow, Red & reading light, a stand mike + a collar mike, laser pointer, & clicker are essential for the speaker.
A chairman’s table with 3-4 chairs, a table mike, sheet with the programme for the session to be announced by the chairperson, short bio-data of guest speaker, if any, in that session; a torch may sometimes be a handy addition. Switches with light controls for the podium with green/ yellow / red light to indicate time to the speakers should be provided.
Mementoes, if any, to be given to guest speakers.
Two senior members of Local Scientific Programme Committee along with the few Volunteers (IMPORTANT: Arrangements for generators in case of load shedding is mandatory and should be so arranged as to minimize time loss.)
At least two stand mikes and two cordless mikes be placed at strategic position in the half for questions from audience.

There is no concurrent Sessions at present, and as far as possible shall not exceed two in future. Proper audio-visual facilities as for plenary sessions should be ensured. Proper signage’s should be placed at strategic places to help in location of various halls. Color coding of halls makes identification easier.

Hospitality for Diagnitaries:

Office Bearers of KOA – for the Central Committee Meetings:
The President, President-elect, Hon. Secretary, Treasurer shall be paid travelling allowance for attending the meeting: To and fro AC II sleeper if the journey is overnight.
In case the President/Secretary/Treasurer are required to make extra visits similar allowance shall be paid.

For the Annual Conference:

President and his wife.
Hon. Secretary and his wife
Treasurer shall be paid travelling allowance as mentioned.
KOA office clerk: Proper decent accommodation shall be arranged by the local organizers for the KOA officials for all the visits. The above mentioned personnel shall also be given complimentary registration for the conference.

Guest Speakers:

Indian Guest Speakers:

Honorary Fellows of K.O.A. (when decided) : Free registration shall be given to all honorary fellows of K.O.A. A list of honorary fellows shall be supplied by Treasurer to the local Organising Secretary who shall invite honorary fellows to attend the conference.
Senior Member: No registration fees shall be charged from members of K.O.A. who are more than 65 years of age with 5 years life membership of KOA. Incidental charges & Banquet charges shall be collected. The senior members shall send their registration forms duly filled before last date for registration without late fees.
Awardees: The recipient of awards & including K. I. George Medal shall register for the conference.
Other Dignitaries: The local organising committee may give complimentary registration to other dignitaries. The total number of such complimentary registrations shall not exceed 10.

General Hospitality:

Transport: Transport for all delegates from various officially designated hotels to the various venue for main conference, and banquet should preferably be arranged by the local organizers.
Proper information of bus routes, timings should be made available to delegates.
CATERING: Undue lavishness on this has to be avoided. However, warm simple lunches on all four days of the conference should be arranged for the registered delegates, and families if registered. Breakfast should not be arranged by the local organising committee. Arrangements for “round the clock” supply of tea/coffee either free or on payment may be made. Safe drinking water at easily accessible spots should be placed outside each hall for scientific deliberations. A complimentary conference dinner shall be arranged to follow the inaugural function. Conference banquet shall be arranged on the penultimate evening of the conference. This shall be on payment and by prior registration.
Accommodation: The conference brochure shall carry information regarding availability of various categories of accommodation. The local organizers shall reserve adequate hotel rooms well in advance to avoid difficulty to the delegates. Allotment will be subject to requests received before deadline, on first come first served basis, and advance payment of one day tariff. Allotment, of course, shall be subject to availability of hotel rooms in that category. Proper liaison of accomodation committee with various hotels is essential to avoid inconvenience to delegates and over charging by hotels. Services of a travel agent may be utilised to organise accomodation.
Social Events/Sight Seeing: A short cultural programme not exceeding one hour may be arranged immediately following the inaugural function but is not mandatory. The programme should ideally reflect the cultural-heritage of India/ Kerala and the host Dist/Area. An orchestra may be in attendance during the banquet.
Sight-Seeing: Local Development sight-seeing/or one/two day tours outside the city maybe arranged in consultation with State Tourism Corporation. Local sight-seeing especially programmes for spouses/children may be arranged. Complimentary packages for other tours at subsidised cost may be arranged through the Tourism Department/Travel agent.

Registration

Announcements for the Conference.

First letter sent by local Organising Secretary as a “thank you” note within 6 months of the venue being decided in the AGB.
A stall shall be alloted in Trade Exhibition in the previous years conference for announcement, distribution of pamphlets and display of posters banners of the conference.
Final announcement brochure containing the following information:

Number of the Conference in Roman letters.
City and Venue
Dates of the Conference
Host Club
Letter from President and Hon.Secretaryof K.O.A.
Letter from local organising secretary
List of Executive Committee of K.O.A.
List of main organising committee
Proposed format of the conference
Details of registration fees
Information regarding free papers/poster presentation/video presentation. Rules and regulation for Lecture, Dr. P. K. Surendran Gold Medal awards, and acceptance of free papers
Information of the C.M.E. programme including topic.
Information of accomodation available with tariffs.
Information (including photographs) of tourist attractions in and around the city, various tours being planned etc.
Information of air, rail and road connections.
Addresses/phone No./Fax No./e-mail addresses of key members of organising committee.
Information of reception and transport arrangements.
Information regarding programmes for spouses/children/social events.
Registration form, form for abstract, accomodation, return reservation, sight seeing tours, sub-speciality meetings, etc.
Important dates and deadlines.
Miscellaneous information.

One brochure should be printed one other intimations may be sent by email

Important dates/deadlines.

Assuming that the date for the annual conferences would be fixed for last week of January each year the important deadlines will be

Despatch of final announcement brochure – 15th May
Last date for receipt of Abstracts (3 copies)- 31stOctober
Last date for receipt of full papers-15 November
Registration without late fees – 30th November
Last date for informing members regarding
acceptance of papers for presentation- 15th,December
Last date for registration with late fees- 31st December
Last date for dispatch of final programme
to all members – 1st January

The registration will be fully computerized. Organizers are free to allot registration numbers according to alphabets or to categorize them district wise. Whatever method is adopted, it should be reflected in a streamlined way on registration counters. The registration process should be so managed to enable fast processing and avoid unnecessary queues during peak registration hours at conference venue. Enough space should therefore be allotted for this purpose. The reply for registration, accommodation, sight seeing tours and receipts of abstract form should be sent within a fortnight of their receipt by the conference Secretariat. The information for acceptance-/ non-acceptance of the scientific paper should be sent latest by 15th December. Delegates should be requested to quote registration number for all correspondence. Spouses/children should be registered under same registration numbers to avoid confusion.
Registration fee structure: This has already been covered under receipts of conference.

Delegate kit:

It is left to the local organizers to decide on the quality/size of delegate bags. The purpose is only to provide a handy bag to contain the following essential items.

Copy of the final program
Meal coupons
Invitation to the inaugural function
Details of registration
Writing pad.
Jotting pen
Invitation to the banquet (if registered)
Delegate name badge
Information brochure of facilities like transport arrangements, spot map of the venue, other miscellaneous information.
Conference Souvenir Other complimentaries are optional.

Certificates:

Participation certificates for delegates should preferably be distributed from the afternoon on the penultimate day of the conference. These shall be separate for the CME and the main conference. The certificates will be signed by The President KOA, Secretary KOA & the local Organising secretary and Chairman
Certificates to faculty members/guest speakers/chair persons should be handed over immediately after the scientific session. Certificates for oral presentations shall also be given by the chairpersons to all speakers at the end of the session. Certificates for poster presentations to be distributed in the hall for poster presentations.

Souvenir:

A Souvenir shall be brought out to commemorate the conference. The following information shall be included.

Messages from various dignitaries including the President/President-Elect/Hon. Secretary of K.O.A.
Presidential address
Secretary’s annual report
List of executive committee members of K.O. A.
List of Organising Committee of the Conference.
Final programme of the conference
Articles from various sources on Orthopaedics and general topics of interest.
List of donors
List of exhibitors
List of advertisers
Advertisements
Anecdotes/jokes/etc, (optional)
List of past award winners of I.O.A. (optional)

Expenditure:

Committee for Monitoring of Collections/Expenditure:
A committee consisting of the following members will monitor the collections/expenditure of the conference.

President
President-Elect
Hon. Secretary
Hon. Treasurer
Any other member of executive committee co-opted for the purpose.

The local Organising Secretary should submit a written statement of collections/expenditure at 2 monthly intervals to the Treasurer starting from January of the year of the Conference. From August onwards a monthly statement has to be submitted. The committee will meet at the venue of the conference along with the central programme committee in last week of August to assess collections and make budgetary allocations accordingly.
The President-Elect along with the Treasurer shall monitor the collections and expenses from September to December and see that accounts are properly maintained.

Auditing and Submission of Accounts :

The accounts shall be audited by an auditor appointed by the central office. The auditor will visit the venue at least once within 3 months after the conference. It will be mandatory for a preliminary report to be presented by local organising secretary in combined meeting of Executive Committee. A final audited account will be presented in the executive committee meeting and AGB during the subsequent KOACON.
The Bank Accounts of the Conference shall normally be closed within one & half years of the conference but under extraordinary circumstances within two years.

Savings from the Conference :

It is mandatory for the local organising committee to donate 50% of Registration fees collected to the parent association. This donation is in recognition of the Authorization to the host club by the Central body to stage the conference, use of its logo, its name, and for advise and professional guidance given for two years in arranging for academic and other activities of the conference.
Any savings over and above the mandatory 50% of the registration fees may be donated to the K.O.A. if the host club so desires. It may, however, be for use for academic purposes, social and charitable activities) to benefit their members and society. It may also be used for building up assets of the host club in furtherance of the object of the city club organising the conference.

Inaugural Function:

The inaugural function of the Annual meeting of the K.O.A. is an official function and will be conducted under the supervision of President/ Secretary of K.O.A.

Venue and General Arrangements :
The venue should preferably be a hall with a capacity of at least 750 members with projection facilities. In the absence of this an open are a /pandal with capacity for seating at least 750 persons may be used. If the hall is being used for the C.M.E. it should be vacated at least by 5.00 pm so that necessary arrangement for inauguration may be made.
The back-drop of the stage should carry the Emblem of the Association. Another emblem should also be used in front of the podium. These are mandatory requirements. The conference logo can also be used on the backdrop. Decoration on the stage is left to the discretion of local organizers but proper stage lighting and good public address system should be arranged. Tables are to be kept on sides for placing various KOA awards. The same should be aesthetic. Wasteful expenditure should be avoided.
Time:
The inaugural function should usually commence at 6.00 pm and the total duration of the main inaugural programme should not exceed I hour. A 60-90 minute cultural programme to highlight the culture of the host District may follow the inaugural function but is not mandatory.
Dignitaries on the dais:
The total number of chairs will be 7 or 9 with the following dignitaries being present:
- President of KOA
- Chief Guest
- Guest of honour
- President Elect-of KOA
- Chairman Organising Committee
- Hon. Secretary of KOA
- Organising Secretary
The number of chairs may be increased to 9 to accomodate the following:
- Additional guest of honour.
- Head of the Teaching Institution if the conference is being held in a Medical College.
Seating arrangements in the hall:
- Front row on the side of he hall on the side of the podium to be reserved for10-15 Past Presidents of KOA
- Award winners for that year including P.K Surendran gold medal immediately behind them.
- Centre front rows to be earmarked for V.I.P. guests including Chief Guest/President of KOA and spouse, etc. Foreign Faculty (if any)
- If the venue of conference is a Medical College few rows behind (c) to be kept reserved for heads of various departments in the Medical College. If not, they can be reserved for senior members of KOA
- Front rows opposite the podium to be reserved for media persons/organising committee
Master of Ceremonies/Conduct of Proceedings :

The master of ceremonies for this solemn function should be a senior person (male or female) who has experience of conducting such functions. He or she must realise the importance of time and that it is an official function. Unnecessary anecdotes, fanfare should be avoided and the conduct of proceedings should be business like.

Speeches/activities and their sequence:

The following will be the sequence.

Delegates/Guests are requested to take their seats by 5.45 pm To be mentioned on the invitation card for the function.
The President and Hon. Secretary of K.O.A. along with Chairman Organising Committee and Organising Secretary will receive the Chief Guest at the entrance and escort him/ her to the hall.
The master of ceremonies will request dignitaries to take their seats on the dais (to be escorted by members of organising committee) in following order:
President of K.O.A.
Chief Guest
Guests of honour
President-elect of K.O.A.
Hon. Secretary of K.O.A.
Chairman Organising Committee
Organising Secretary – 3 minutes
Welcome to dignitaries by floral bouquets-2 minutes.
Welcome Speech: Chairman Organising Committee or Organising Secretary – 5 minutes.
Inauguration of Conference: Lighting of Lamp-5 minutes
Hon. Secretary’s Annual report – 7 minutes.
Presentation of K0A awards by Chief Guest (Award presentation to be managed by Hon. Secretary of KOA – 5 minutes.
Presidential address – 10 minutes. The speech is to be printed and distributed to the guests/delegates at the commencement of the function).
Release of Souvenir by Guest of honour+speech-5 minutes
Speech by the Chief Guest – 10 minutes
Votes of thanks by Organising secretary / Jt. Organising secretary – 3 minutes.
National Anthem (Preferably a team of singers to lead) – 5 minutes)

The main function may be followed by short cultural programme to be followed by High Tea/Conference Dinner.

KOA Awards:

The following awards will be presented during the inaugural function and in the same order.

P. A. Alexander life time achievement award of KOA(1) – Citation & Gold Medal
Meritorious award of KOA(1) – Citation
Honorary Fellows of KOA ( 3)- Citation
Certificate & Medal for Past President
Certificate & Medal for Past Hon. Secretary
Certificate & Medal for Past Hon. Treasurer
Certificate for Organising Chairman of previous KOACON
Certificate for Organising Secretary of previous KOACON
Certificate for Organising Chairman of Basic COE of KOA
Certificate for Organising Secretary of Basic COE of KOA
Certificate for Organising Chairman of Advanced COE of KOA
Certificate for Organising Secretary of Advanced COE of KOA
Certificate for two KOA Fellowships
Certificate for Varghese Mathai Fellowship of KOA
Certificate for Basic Sciences research fellowship of KOA
Prof. P. K. Surendran Memorial Gold Medal of KOA
Gold Medal of KOA for the best Poster ( Contributed by the Previous KOACON Org. Comm.)
Medal of KOA for the best Video
Trophy and Certificate for winners of KOACON Quiz
Trophy and Certificate for Best Chapter award of KOA

Modifications permissible:

Timing may be changed to 6.30 pm depending upon local factors.
One or two guests of honour may be added.
Mementoes to dignitaries may be given before the vote of thanks but the same is not mandatory.
Any other modification in consultation with President/Hon. Secretary of K.O.A.

Valedictory Function:

The valedictory function is also an official function of KOA and will be conducted by the new President of KOA & Hon. Secretary of KOA. The duration of the function should be kept as short as possible. Preferably 20-25 minutes.

Venue and general arrangements:
The venue will preferably by the main hall of the conference. The dais will have seats for the following:-

President
President – Elect
Vice-President
Hon. Secretary
Hon.Treasurer
Joint. Secretary
Organising Chairman
Organising Secretary

Proper Public address system is essential. A podium will also be required.

Time: It will be from 1.00 pm (or 1.30 pm) onwards on the last day of the conference after all scientific sessions are over.

No special seating arrangements are required.
A representative from the organising committee will invite the dignitaries to the dais. The New President shall conduct the proceedings in the following order.

Declaration of results of(If not already declared in AGM) P. K. Surendran Gold Medal Competition, Best Poster Gold Medal, Best Video Gold Medal, Quiz-first prize
President gives his comments regarding the conference and its organisation.
President invites delegates to speak on their experience during the conference.
Reply to the feelings of delegates by the Organising Secretary.
The President announces the end of the conference with an invitation for the next annual conference.
Modifications : Some changes may be made in this format to suit local circumstances.

KOA Office:

A space of around 300-350 sq.ft. should be provided at a convenient and prominent area within the conference premises for establishing the KOA office where members can carry out their business with KOA officials / office staff.
The following facilities are to be provided by organizers in this office.

Table and Chairs for 5 people.
Computer with printer along with computer operator.
2 Volunteers.
Basic office stationery,
Drinking water.
Notice Boards.

Notice boards at other prominent’ places, like entrance to various halls will be required for display of KOA notices.
OTHER OFFICIAL PROGRAMMES OF KOA DURING KOACON

Executive Committee Meeting:
The executive committee meeting shall be held on Friday at 2.30P.M. A KOA club relationship meeting will be conducted on Frday at 1.30PM. A notice for the meeting along with agenda will be circulated by the Hon. Secretary to all members well in advance.

Arrangements for executive meeting during KOACON: A hall big enough to accomodate 60 people preferably in a “round-table fashion” with tables/ chairs arranged accordingly. 2-3 volunteers, drinking water shall be arranged. If circumstances require, lunch/tea/etc. may be served at the site of the meeting.
General Body Meeting:
Counting of ballot paper:

The counting of ballot papers will be carried out under the supervision of election officer on the day of the CME programme. The following facilities will be required:

A large hall to seat 15-20 persons.
A long big table space of approximately 80-100 sq. ft. area.
Large Cardboard cartons – 5 Nos.
Deep rectangular plastic trays 10-15 Nos or as per requirement.
Pair of scissors – 4 Nos.
Flat metallic rulers – 4 Nos.
Drinking water/tea/coffee/snacks, etc. will be provided by organizers. Depending on circumstances lunch may have to be served as leaving the premises would be difficult for participants in the counting.
Meeting of Central and Regional Club Office Bearers:

The meeting will be held on the 1st day (CME day) during noon break. Seating capacity of 25-30 persons will be required for the meeting.

KOA CMEs:

A basic CME in the month of May and advanced CME in the month of October shall be conducted every year. The venue shall be decided in the AGM.

CTIC (Clinical Teaching and Instructional Course)

Two CTICs shall be conducted under KOA every year
Procedure for bids: Announce in news letter. Bids for the 3CTIC’s has to be made to Hon. Secretary by December 1st for the next year. Venue will be decided in GB
The Scientific and financial control of the CTIC will be done by a programme committee consisting of the following:

President of KOA
President elect
Hon. Secretary
Chairman Long Term Planning Committee
Organising Secretary of CTIC

This will include finalization of the topic, scientific programme, faculty, etc. The programme committee shall also monitor budgetary proposals, income, expenditure and savings.
A South India representation should be ensured for selection of Faculty as far as possible. The programme committee may add a one day pre-course workshop wherever feasible.

KOA Nurses training Programme:

There shall be 2 basic nurses training programme the day prior to KOA CMEs , One advanced Nurses training programme for those who have attended basic programme only on alternative years alongwith the KOACON of that year.
The certificates for the nurses training programme shall be given only to the registered nurses.

Protocol for other Scientific Activities of KOA:

A permanent committee consisting of the President, President-elect, Hon. Secretary and 2 co-opted members shall govern all other scientific activities including starting of new courses, programmes, Fellowships, Workshops, Publication etc. Concurrence of executive committee members will be taken by President before starting any new activity.

Protocol for scientific activities of KOA in collaboration with other organizations

The permanent committee may also initiate activities in collaboration with other organizations. Concurrence from executive committee members may be obtained by the President.

Protocol for KOA Building :

Address:
　　 KERALA ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATION
　　 KOA House, Flat No.505, Block II, Easland Enclave, Elamkulam, Kochi-682 020
　　 Tel: 0484 2320175, e-mail: [email protected],
　　 website: www.keralaorthopaedicassociation.org
Earmarking of rooms of KOA building.

One room with attached toilet has been earmarked for the President/Hon. Secretary/Treasurer of the Association (a double bed room and attached toilet).
The office will be housed outside in the large hall and will have a counter with almirahs, a computer with printer and other office equipment.
Library: A room in the front on this floor will house the Library.
Adjacent double room with toilet for guests.
Pantry cum kitchen
Both bed rooms are air conditioned.

The double room can be used for stay by members of KOA buy prior reservation. Reservation may be done well in advance through letter/phone call mentioning membership number. Phone call should be followed by letter of confirmation. A daily rent of Rs.500 per room may be collected from the accupants.The President/Secretary’s room shall be reserved for them during their visits to KOA House. Allotment of Presidential room to members will be done after confirmation from President & Hon. Secretary
Office Timing: The office timing of KOA House shall be from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m except national holidays.
Library timing: The library timing shall also be from 10.-00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Salary for the office secretary shall be fixed and revised as per labour laws.

Fixation of duties of office Secretary

He shall be responsible for the overall day to today functioning of the KOA House and the office.
He shall scrutinize all post received and make suitable replies in consultation with Hon. Secretary.
He shall maintain and keep updated the fist of members and their addresses.
He shall be responsible for making corrections in mailing list of members as and when requested by members.
He shall maintain all office records and stock registers of all office equipment furniture, KOA memorablia. and assets including the library.
He shall be incharge of KOA library and loaning of books of members.
He shall submit a weekly report of the office activities to the Hon. Secretary and President.
He should be assist the returning officer for posting of ballot paper for KOA elections and maintenance of records regarding their postage.
He shall assist the treasurer for getting the accounts of the office audited each year and submission of same to Income Tax authorities and Registrar of Societies.
Help Central committee in its functions Answering calls of members from State and outside.
Any other work assigned to him by office bearers of the Association.
Typing of all letters.
Filing and proper maintenance of all correspondence.
Maintenance of all accounts under supervision of the Treasurer.
Updating of list of full members who have-paid them dues.
Arranging for the visit of the President/President elect. Hon. Secretary to koa house.
All market requirements for purchase of office equipments/stationery etc.
Allotment of room to members in consultation with officer in charge & Secretary.
Any other job assigned to him by Hon. secretary /Treasurer.
Basic maintenance of facilities of KOA House like electrical connections, water supply, cleanliness of all rooms and toilets, provision of clean linen in the rooms.
Providing drinking water to the members staying in the KOA House.

The President of Cochin Orthopaedic Society will be responsible for monitoring the routine functioning of the KOA House.

The Treasurer will also supervise the functioning from time to time and also above maintane the accounts of the KOA house. All payment to staff will be done by cheques through joint signatures of Treasurer and Hon. Secretary.
Procedures for disciplinary action/suspensions/termination of services. In case of gross negligence of duties/gross misconduct a show cause notice will be issued for reply within 7 days by the Hon. Secretary. If no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming a one month notice of termination of services shall be issued. Further action shall be as per labour laws.

Protocol For Functioning of the KOA Office:

Maintenance of Records: All records of the Association will be under the custody of the Hon. Secretary. He will supervise their maintenance in the KOA house along with The President of Cochin Orthopaedic Society. Proper numbering and storing shall be ensured for easy retrieval as and when required. While all files concerned with the term of the current Hon. Secretary may be maintained at his residence for convenience all important documents and files related to previous Secretarial terms shall be kept in the KOA house. The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping all records pertaining to the assets of the association which include all records related to the KOA building e.g. acquisition of land, building of the KOA House, Electrical and water supply, DDA permission, etc. All records of fixed deposits and other assets shall also be maintained by the treasurer and a list of all such documents shall be produced on demand.
Correspondence: While correspondence on important policy matters and decisions to be taken shall be carried out by the President/Hon. Secretary, routine correspondence like change of address, non-receipt of Newsletters/Journal, membership dues, etc. will be done by the office secretary with weekly reports to the President/ Hon. Secretary. In case of any difficulty, Office Secretary may consult Hon. Secretary before replying. A copy of all letters sent out by Office Secretary shall be sent to President and Hon. Secretary. In case of any difficulty members may write to the Hon. Secretary directly also. All correspondence for the Newsletter/Executive Committee Meetings/General Body Meetings, suggestion, etc. shall be addressed to Hon. Secretary. All correspondence for KOA dues shall be addressed to the treasurer. All correspondence for fellowships shall be addressed to respective Fellowship committee chairman.
Membership lists and updating of same: The administrative officer shall maintain and update the list of life and full members of the Association and their updated addresses. The Treasurer and Hon.Secretary of the Association shall supervise this function. A voters list of all eligible full members along with a list of life members shall be supplied to the election officer by 30th September each year. A list of change of addresses of members shall be notified every month by the Office secretary to the Hon. Secretary/Editors of the journal to enable proper receipt of News Letters/Journals by the members.
Maintenance of Memorablia of the KOA: All important memorablia of the Association including photographs of events, photographs of Past-Presidents, gifts to the Association, important documents, etc. will be kept in the KOA House. All running trophies shall also be returned to KOA house for safe keeping and brought by office clerk to the venue of Annual Conference. The memorablia may be properly displayed for benefit of visitors to KOA House.
Hiring of any portion (or portions) of KOA building: As and when decided, and as per rules of the portion of the KOA building may be hired out. The rooms may be offered on rent if demand necessary in the interest of the Association. The Treasurer/Hon. Secretary after the decision in the executive committee shall monitor this in consultation with the President.
Use of guest rooms by KOA members from outside Cochin: The various guest rooms shall be offered to KOA members from outside Kochi for their stay during their visits to the city on a first cum first serve basis with a rent of Rs. 500/- per day. However, the Presidential suite/Secretary’s room shall be reserved for them during their visits to Cochin.
Protocol for maintenance of assets of the Association and continuity in transfer of records/ assets to incoming office bearers following elections.

All assets of the Association as mentioned in 8 (a) shall be under custody of the Treasurer. All records for accounts of the Association as well as details of accounts of Annual Conferences shall also be with the treasurer. These shall be handed over to the next incumbent Treasurer within one month of his taking over the office. Proper record of such taking over charge shall be maintained in a register. An inventory shall be maintained files pertaining to the term of the Hon. Secretary shall be returned to the KOA House on the completion of the term of office of outgoing Hon. Secretary and charge given to office secretary. The incoming Hon. Secretary shall study all such files in his first visit to KOA House within 2 months of his assuming the office. All such records are to be properly catalogued, numbered and stored for easy retrieval as and when needed. All correspondence and files from the Presidents office shall also be returned to the KOA House after the term of the President and stored year wise in t

Protocol for publication of Kerala Orthopaedic Journal:

Funds for the journal: The editor(s) shall prepare a tentative budget for the forthcoming year and get it approved by the executive committee. 100% of the funds shall be provided by the Association whereas any amount shall be raised from advertisements. The editors/ co-editor/editorial board members shall be responsible for raising funds through advertisements.
Formation of the Editorial Board with Editors/Co-editor/Editorial Board Members is left to the option of the editor.:
Collection of Advertisements: The editorial broad shall decide the tariff to be charged for various categories of advertisements. These should be constant for all issues in one year and shall be revised from time to time as per requirement. Best Paper published in one year may be selected.
A committee consisting of the President, President-elect, Hon. Secretary, editor, associate editors and members of the editorial board shall select the best paper. The managing editor shall send a proforma with list of titles of articles/names of authors to the members of the committee in first week of March each year. The list shall contain all articles published in the 4 issues of the journal of the previous year. The marking shall be according to basic format for PKS Gold Medal.

Awards of K.O.A.:

All awards of the Association are for life members of the Association.

PA Alexander Life Time Achievement award:
Meritorious Award: Senior most living past president of KOA who has not been given this.
Honorary Fellowship of KOA (3) – Only one past president (Criteria to be decided by Executive committee)

Conditions for additional institution of a lecture.

The lecturer shall be a Life Member of the Association
It shall be his personal work, preferably done in India.
The subject of lecture should not have been published or presented in its present form elsewhere. He should certify to that effect.
Six copies of his work as full paper, which will not exceed 45 minutes reading time with six copies of his Bio-data shall be submitted to the Hon. Secretary, before a stipulated date announced by the Secretary.
A committee of five shall screen the papers submitted and the committee’s decision is final.

Hon. Secretary’s Note:
The application for this award along with all documents should reach by 30th August of same year. The awardee will have to deliver the lecture during KOACON in same year. He will be informed regarding the selection well in advance.

GOLD MEDAL

All the criterias laid down in the scientific session for the gold medal paper (Please refer)

Travelling Fellowship of KOA

KOA Fellowships (2)
Varghese Mathai Fellowship
Basic Research Fellowship

Last date of application
The announcement for all fellowships of K.O.A. shall be made in the March issue of KOA News letter by the Hon. Secretary. All applications should be received by the chairman fellowship committee by 31st, December of same year. He shall send a set of application forms to each of the members of the Fellowship Committee consisting of:

Chairman Travelling Fellowship
President-Elect
Hon. Secretary

The committee members should screen the applications and submit that report by I5th January. The chairman fellowship committee shall tabulate the result and present the same during the AGB of KOA. The approved remits shall be announced and intimated to all applicants through post by chairman fellowship committee. For all the fellowship the chairman Fellowship committee shall be responsible for arranging the visit of Fellow to various centers.

The fellowship shall usually start from the venue of the KOACON & shall be for 4-6 weeks duration. The fellows will not be entitled to free registration and stay during the conference.

On successful completion of the Fellowship the Fellow shall have to submit an official report to the Hon. Secretary, Chairman Travelling Fellowship Committee and Editor of KOA. The same shall be published in the Journal of the KOA.

All the applicants for the fellowships should be present during the annual general body , where the reports are to be presented .

Defaulters of the fellowship will not be considered for any of KOA fellowship for the next 5 years.

Criteria for starting New Fellowships:

For any new Fellowship to be started, proposals shall be received by the Hon. Secretary and put on the agenda for discussion.A sum of Rs. 2 lakhs as donation for forming the corpus fund for the fellowship shall be required from the sponsor.This may however be relaxed by executive committee under extra ordinary circumstances.

Discontinuation of Fellowship:

If a corpus fund is available, fellowship would not be discontinued. However, the fellowships for which corpus fund is not available and a yearly grant is obtained from a Company/firm in case the Company/firm decides to discontinue the same efforts may be made for it to be continued.

OBJECTIVES

To expose young orthopaedic surgeons to different orthopaedic problems and their solutions in different situations and facilities. To expose young surgeons to senior orthopaedic surgeons with a view to interact, gain knowledge of attitudes and philosophy of work, skills, organization of department and clinics etc. Establish rapport with orthopaedic surgeons for future interaction and to make lasting friendships along, the way.
The fellowship committee selects young surgeons from applicants <40 years of age by the deadline of application. The fellows travel for a period between 4-6 weeks starting from the venue of the KOACON. They visit the cities and at least two other smaller centers, decided by rotation, during their travel.

SELECTION

By Travelling Fellowship committee chairman who may discuss with the President/ President-Elect / Hon.Secretary.
HOW TO APPLY AND TIME SCHEDULES

Six sets of applications property formatted as per format given and with the required certification should be submitted to the Chairman, Traveling Fellowship Committee by 31st December of the year of application. The application will be scrutinised and passed on to the fellowship committee for final selection and applicants intimated by 15th January of the year of application.

OBLIGATIONS OF TRAVELING FELLOWS OF KOA

To complete the full tenure of the fellowship responsibly. To follow the guidelines provided by the Chairman Travelling Fellowship Committee and all local fellowship coordinators of the centres visited.
To submit a completion report to the Chairman Travelling Fellowship Committee within a month of completion of the fellowship.
APPLICATION FORMAT FOR TRAVELLING FELLOWSHIP OF KOA
Please tick the fellowship you are applying for and make the application in the prescribed format as it will be graded as such. Applications not in the prescribed format or without proof of documentation will be rejected. Please send SIX copies the application.
The format of application form is attached as appendix 1.
　　
GRADING SYSTEM FOR FELLOWSHIPS (MAXIMUM MARKS = 100)

POST GRADUATE QUALIFICATIONS (5 marks)
　　IN ORTHOPAEDICS
　　Recognised qualifications: (2 marks/qualification)
　　M.S. Orth. D.N.B. Orth., D ortho or any degree recognized by MCI
EXPERIENCE (10 marks)
One mark per completed year of seniority after post graduate qualifications
PUBLICATION (40 marks)

Indexed Journal/IJO/Journal of KOA Maximum 20 marks 5 marks per publication as main author 3 marks per publication as co-author
Non Indexed Journal Maximum (10 marks)
2 marks per publication as main author I marks per publication as co-author
Books Maximum 10 marks
10 marks per book as main author 5 marks per book as associate author 10 marks per book as editor/author of monograph 5 marks per book chapter as contributing author 3 marks per book chapter as co-author

PAPERS/POSTERS PRESENTED PERSONALLY (10 marks)
　　International conferences abroad 3 marks per paper/poster International conferences in India/KOACON 2 marks per paper/I mark per poster Subspeciality/state chapter conferences I mark per paper/1/2 mark per poster
GUEST LECTURES/LECTURES AT CME/ Marks WORKSHOPS

International conferences abroad -5 marks per lecture
International conferences in India -5 marks per lecture
KOACON 3 marks per lecturer
Subspeciality /state chapter conferences 3 marks per lecture
RESEARCH PROJECTS COMPLETED (10 marks )
　　Funded by an International/National agency, government organization or University 5 marks per completed project

CONFERENCES ATTENDED (5 marks)

International conferences abroad 2 mark per conference
International conferences in India/KOACON I mark per conference
Subspeciality/state chapter conferences 1/2 mark per conference

ORGANIZATIONAL (5 marks)

Convener or Organizing secretary of lnternational or National meetings or workshops/office bearer of National organization 2 marks/post held
Convener or Organizing secretary of Subspeciality /State level meeting/Off ice bearer of National organization I mark / post held
MEDALS. PRIZES, AND AWARDS (5 marks)
In Orthopaedics
KOA 2 marks / medal, prize or award Subspeciality University National organization International organization others (to be used in case of tie up of marks)
(In case of dispute of interpretaton under any heading, the decision of the fellowship committee will be final)

Application for Membership:

Subscription for life/full members
Life membership Rs.2500/- payable as a single installment with increment of Rs.100/- every year, Associate members RS.300 per year shall be paid before AGM every year with increment of Rs.25/- every year. All increments start after the AGM every year in January.
Eligibility for Membership. (As given in Constitution).
Method of Application: Persons desirous of becoming members of the Association shall submit a standard application form duly proposed and seconded by two member’s of the Association to the Hon. Secretary. (copy of the certificates to be attached)
Action taken by Hon. Secretary/Hon. Treasurer: These officials shall prepare a list of all applicants for any given year in consultation with each other and present the same in the General Body Meeting during KOACON.
Date from which membership is affected: The membership shall come into effect from the day following the date of the General Body Meeting. The Membership for associate members shall be from this date till the next AGM. Subsequent subscription shall be due before 31st January of each year.
Membership number shall be alloted only after approval of membership by the general body. The Hon. Secretary shall inform the member of such acceptance along with a membership certificate mentioning his membership number. The number should be mentioned by the member in all correspondence with K.O.A. office bearers. The life membership number of deseased members shall not be realloted to new applicant.
Action regarding updating of Membership/Hon. Treasurer shall update the membership/ mailing list by following actions:

Applications for change of address from members.
The address of deseased members shall be deleted from mailing list. However, their membership number and name shall continue on the list.
Full members changing to life members shall mention this fact so that their names shall be deleted from list of full members.
Repeated return of mail from untraced members: The addresses of such members shall be deleted after 3-4 consecutive return of mail and “untraced” mentioned against their names in mailing list. New address, as and when received, shall be reinserted whenever it is received by K.O. A. office.

K.O.A. Identity Cards:

Efforts shall be made to get these KOA articles prepared for the members and distributed free of cost or put up for sale on subsidized costs

Executive Committee Meetings:

Drawing up an agenda: The Hon. Secretary shall draw up the agenda for the meetings and communicate with President for approval. After approval the final agenda shall be circulated by post along with announcement for the meeting, to all members of executive Committee. “Agenda notes” or short background regarding various items on the agenda may also be sent for first hand information of members so that they come prepared for discussion. The agenda should consist of:

Obituaries, if any
Confirmation of minutes of last executive committee meeting.
Hon. Secretary’s report for the term.
Treasurer’s report.
Financial report (interim or final) of previous Conference by Organising Secretary who shall be a special invitee to the meeting.
Budget proposals for next Conference & preparations. Report by Organising Secretary who shall also be a special invitee.
Reports of the Fellowship Chairman.
Report of Preparations for CTIC by Organizing Secretary.
K.O.A. Awards for the year.
All other important matters requiring concurrence of Executive Committee for running of the Association.
Important issues raised by Executive members/other members which the President/Hon. Secretary feel important for discussion.
Progress report of all programmes undertaken.

Frequency of Executive Committee Meeting: At least four an year.

Combined executive called by the President in his place
Two executive committee meetings preferably at KOA HOUSE
One meeting along with KOACON

Venue, date and time:

Combined executive called by the President in his place during the last Sunday of February or lst Sunday of March from 10.30 am with lunch.
KOA House from 10.30 am with lunch.
Meeting during KOACON Saturday 3:30 PM.

Arrangements to be made:

Responsibility Hon. Secretary of the Association.

Board room preparations:

Adequate seating arrangement (Approx. 25)
Display of agenda/ Agenda notes on notice board.
Adequate photocopy of agenda/agenda notes for the members. Photocopies of other documents if required e.g. Treasurer’s report, budgetary proposals.
Arrangement for lunch for all members in the basement or Hall on ground florr.

Responsibility organising secretary of KOACON. Same arrangement as above shall be made. 2 volunteers shall be arranged to assist in the meeting. Lunch may have be provided a venue of meeting.

Conduct of the meeting:

Punctuality shall be maintained for commencing the meeting.
Attendance shall be maintained in a register and report with the Hon. Secretary.
Each item shall be discussed for 5-10 minutes according to importance. Incase of difference of opinion the Hon. Secretary shall formulate a resolution on which there shall be voting by raise of hands. The resolution may be carried or defeated by a simple majority.
On all issues the verdict of the President shall be final. He shall have the privilege to continue a discussion or ask for a majority vote.
The minutes of the meeting shall be written by the Hon. Secretary. Whereyer possible exact language of the resolution shall be taken down. The proceedings of the meeting shall also be tape-recorded for future reference and clarifications.

Follow-up action after the Executive Committee Meeting:

The minutes of the meeting shall be properly finalized by Hon. Secretary and sent to President for approval. These shall be circulated to all members in the July News Letter. Action on all decisions taken in the committee shall be carried out by the Hon. Secretary, who shall write to all concerned. Work delegated to Executive Committee members by President/Hon. Secretary should be completed and “action taken” report submitted within a certain time frame.
The minutes of all the executive committee meetings shall be presented in the G.B.M. for approval.

Extra-Ordinary Executive Committee Meeting:

May be called by President at any time preferably with a minimum 10 day notice. This shall be for urgent matters which cannot be put off till time for regular meeting.
(xvi) General Body Meeting.

Drawing up an agenda:

Obituaries.
Confirmation of Minutes of previous General Body Meeting.
Hon.Secretary’s report.
Treasurer’s report.
Report of various committees and business arising from it.
Financial report of previous conference.
Report of progress of CTIC.
Report of progress of next KOACON.
Confirmation of awards of KOA
Venue of CTIC to be held for the next year.
Venue of KOACON to be held after 2 years.
Any other matter deemed essential to be discussed and ratified by the G.B.M.
Results of P K Surendran gold medal and best poster gold medal and fellowships of KOA
Any other matter with the permission of the chair.
Progress of basic and advanced CME’s of KOA