The national medical associations of the member states of ASEAN, recognising the importance of closer ties among the national medical associations in assisting all people in this region to attain the highest possible level of health, and realising the need for mutual cooperation and collective effort in maintaining the dignity and standards of the medical profession, having organised the Medical Association of South East Asian Nations (MASEAN), do hereby adopt and promulgate the Constitution in Jakarta, Indonesia on 1 March 1980.

The organisation shall be known as the Medical Association of South East Asian Nations, abbreviated as MASEAN.

1. To promote close ties among the medical associations and physicians in ASEAN;
2. To foster the study and dissemination of all aspects of medical knowledge;
3. To study and report on the problems which confront the profession in the region; and
4. To establish common policies in attaining the highest possible level of health care for the people

The unit of membership shall be the national medical association of each member country of ASEAN.

Associate Membership shall be open to the national medical association of countries which have applied to join MASEAN, but have not attained full membership of ASEAN. Associate Members shall have no voting rights and cannot nominate officers. Approval of Associate Membership shall be granted by the MASEAN Council at a MASEAN Conference. Upon confirmation of the country?s ASEAN membership, the national medical association of the country shall automatically become a full member of MASEAN.

The Council shall consist of officers and council members of MASEAN. Member association which did not send any delegate to a MASEAN Conference should inform the incoming MASEAN Council of its nominees to the Council. The Council shall exercise general direction on the policies and affairs of the Association.

Each member association shall be entitled to nominate up to four (4) official delegates to the MASEAN Conference.

ARTICLE 6
Officers

Officers shall consist of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General.

Notice of any proposal to revise the Constitution and By-Laws shall be sent to the Secretary-General not later than (3) months prior to the meeting of the Council and such notice must appear on the agenda for the meeting.

Decision on all maters shall be by consensus. When this is not possible, a decision will be made by a simple majority where each member association shall be entitled to one (1) vote. In the event that the number of member association present at the MASEAN Conference is even, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

The Secretariat of MASEAN shall be located in a city within ASEAN. The term of the Secretariat shall be four (4) years and is renewable at the end of each term at a MASEAN Conference.

The presence of a simple majority of full MASEAN members shall constitute a quorum for all MASEAN Conference and Council Meetings. There must be a quorum before any business can be validly transacted.

BY-LAWS

The four (4) delegates to the MASEAN Conference from each member association shall be nominated by the member country. For members of ASEAN without a national medical association, the Ministry of Health of these countries is entitled to send up to four (4) official observers to the Conference. However, such observers will not have voting rights.

1. The Chairman shall be appointed by the member association hosting the MASEAN Conference. Hosting of the MASEAN Conference is done in alphabetical order of member countries. The Vice-Chairman shall be appointed by the member association that is hosting the next MASEAN Conference. Their term of office shall be two (2) years.
2. The Secretary-General shall be the head of the Secretariat, and shall be appointed by the national medical association hosting the Secretariat and the appointment ratified by the MASEAN Council.
3. The Deputy Secretary-General shall be from the member country that is chairing the MASEAN Council. The term of office shall be of the same duration as and coincide with that of the Chairman.
4. Each member country (full and associate member) shall nominate two (2) council members. One of them must be the incumbent president of the national medical association unless the incumbent president is already an officer. Should there be a change in the incumbent president of a member association and the incumbent president is not already on the MASEAN Council, the member association shall re-nominate its council members to comply with the requirements under this By-Law. Their term of office shall be two (2) years.

No subscription fee will be levied. The general financing of the MASEAN Secretariat will be borne by the national medical association hosting the MASEAN Secretariat.

1. A MASEAN Conference shall be held every two (2) years and will be organised by the member associations in turn according to alphabetical order of the name of each member country unless otherwise determined in the preceding MASEAN Conference. An ordinary MASEAN Council Meeting shall be held every year.
2. The host for the MASEAN Conference shall not bear the cost of international transportation of the delegates to the host country and accommodation of the delegates but should facilitate visa application and hotel reservations if so requested.
3. No registration fee shall be charged for official delegates from member association by the host of the MASEAN Conference. Internal transportation and meals should be provided by the organisers for the delegates for the duration of the Conference.
4. Extraordinary Meetings of the Council shall be held at the request of a simple majority of full members.

The official language of MASEAN shall be English.