CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Article V – Subscriptions, Section ii

With effect from 1 January 2024, all medical professionals would have to earn compulsory medical ethics points as part of Continuing Medical Education (CME) requirements every year. This would be administered through the professional bodies. SMA intended to provide the full compulsory ethics CME to its members at no additional cost. The increase in membership fees would fund most of the infrastructure, including the electronic platform, initial set-up costs and maintenance cost per member.

- Staff costs have increased over the years. Dr Ng highlighted that remuneration had remained reasonable and there were years when annual increments and bonuses were moderated, or even frozen such as during the start of COVID in 2020. Nonetheless, he hoped that staff could still be remunerated reasonably.

- Operating costs had gone up, including the cost of events and rental. Meanwhile, financial support from the government’s Jobs Support Scheme, initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, had ceased. SMA’s functions had also expanded, and there were more Student members now. - The percentage of Life Members has increased in recent years. Members who had been with SMA for more than 30 years no longer pay annual subscriptions and still enjoy membership benefits.