Charter · Neuromuscular Diseases Society

Article 1 Name of the Association

The name of the association is "NÖROMÜSKÜLER HASTALIKLAR DERNEĞİ" (Neuromuscular Diseases Association). It may be abbreviated as "NMH Derneği".

Article 2 Registered Office and Headquarters

The headquarters of the association is in Ankara. As of its founding date, the association has no branches.

If deemed necessary, the General Assembly may decide to open a branch. The Board of Directors is authorised to implement such a decision, and the authorisation granted to the Board shall be explicitly stated in the decision.

Article 3 Purpose of the Association

To promote the application of evidence-based scientific methods in motor neuron disease, peripheral nerve disease, neuromuscular junction disorders, muscle diseases and neuropathic pain; to contribute to education, research and technology transfer in this field; and to raise public awareness of these diseases.

Article 4 Activities of the Association

To this end, the association carries out the following activities:

Organises scientific events.
Publishes on scientific and social platforms in Turkish and foreign languages.
Organises conferences, congresses, scientific meetings, seminars, symposia and sessions.
Grants awards, medals and plaques.
Issues certificates under authorisation obtained from the relevant official bodies.
Subscribes to domestic and foreign journals; supports members' participation in national and international events; and cooperates with domestic and foreign organisations pursuing the same purpose.
May purchase office supplies and medical equipment.
May employ paid staff to ensure the smooth conduct of the association's activities or the use of its medical equipment.
Establishes a commercial enterprise to achieve the association's objectives.
Organises post-graduate education courses and symposia.
Creates scholarship opportunities.
Cooperates with professional organisations abroad pursuing similar aims, joins federations, holds joint scientific events and concludes representation agreements.
Organises social solidarity activities among members.
Concludes agreements with relevant organisations to protect the rights of members of the profession.
Protects and strengthens the personal and legal rights of the association's members.
Pursues all kinds of administrative and legal remedies in line with the association's objectives.
Where necessary, initiates legal proceedings, files lawsuits or joins existing lawsuits to achieve the association's objectives.
Where requested, provides opinions to relevant institutions regarding the suitability of physicians coming from abroad to institutions in Türkiye for training.

Article 5 Founders of the Association

The founders of the association are:

Dr. Can Ebru Kurt
Dr. Hacer Durmuş
Dr. Nurten Uzun Adatepe
Dr. Kayıhan Uluç
Dr. İhsan Şengün
Dr. Sevim Erdem Özdamar
Dr. Yeşim Gülşen Parman
Dr. Mehmet Ali Akalın
Dr. Mehmet Ersin Tan

Until the first General Assembly is held and the Board of Directors is elected, the Provisional Board of Directors consists of:

Dr. Mehmet Ersin Tan (Provisional President)
Dr. Can Ebru Kurt
Dr. Nurten Uzun Adatepe
Dr. Kayıhan Uluç
Dr. İhsan Şengün
Dr. Sevim Erdem Özdamar
Dr. Yeşim Gülşen Parman
Dr. Mehmet Ali Akalın
Dr. Hacer Durmuş

Article 6 Types and Conditions of Membership

The association has two types of membership: full and honorary.

(A) Full Membership

Full members have the right to vote and be elected to the association's bodies. To become a full member:

Any "neurology specialist" who has the capacity to exercise their civil rights, has sufficient experience/knowledge in the follow-up and management of neuromuscular diseases, and is not subject to any prohibition order under the relevant articles of Law No. 5253 on Associations may become a full member.
A full member must not have been banned or restricted from public rights, must not have been sentenced to more than one year of imprisonment (except for negligent offences), and must not have been definitively barred from founding or managing associations.
For non-Turkish citizens to become members, in addition to the conditions required of Turkish citizens, they must have the right to reside in Türkiye.
A full member must be paying the membership dues set for each period.
A person wishing to become a full member applies to the Board of Directors by completing the required form; the application is reviewed and finalised within 30 days.

(B) Honorary Membership

Honorary membership is granted to persons who do not fully meet the conditions of full membership but who have scientific honour and prestige in their field, or who have made a significant material or moral contribution to the association. For honorary membership:

Persons who are not citizens of the Republic of Türkiye and have no right of residence in Türkiye may become honorary members.
Honorary membership is granted upon the written proposal of at least five full members and a decision taken by the Board of Directors within 30 days.
Honorary members do not have the right to vote or be elected to the association's bodies.
Honorary members are not obliged to pay dues.
They may not hold an active office.

Article 7 Membership Rights

No one may be compelled to become a member of the association. Every member has the right to resign at any time. Members of the association have equal rights. Each full member has one vote in the General Assembly; the vote is cast in person and may not be cast by proxy.

Article 8 Application for Membership

Those wishing to become members apply to the Board of Directors by completing and signing the form obtained from the website or the association's headquarters, together with the documents required by the regulation.

The Board of Directors, having carried out the necessary examination and investigation, notifies the applicant in writing of its decision to accept or reject the membership within 30 days at the latest from the date of application.

Membership begins once the accepted person is recorded in the register; a membership card may be issued to members upon request.

Article 9 Expulsion from Membership

Members found to have engaged in conduct contrary to the charter, the association's objectives or professional ethical principles may be expelled from membership by a decision of the General Assembly, following an investigation by the Honour Board and its recommendation to the Board of Directors, upon the request of the Board of Directors.

The member may object to the General Assembly within the notification period; the objection is discussed as a mandatory agenda item. The decision of the General Assembly is final.

A person expelled from or leaving membership returns their identity card, and their name is deleted from the membership register.

Article 10 Dues

The annual dues amount is determined for a three-year period at each ordinary General Assembly meeting upon the proposal of the Board of Directors. In accordance with Provisional Article 1, the Provisional Board of Directors exercises this authority until the first ordinary General Assembly convenes.

Donations and grants are contributions that registered members, or real or legal persons who are not members but sympathise with the association, wish to make in support of activities serving the association's objectives.

Donations and grants are accepted by issuing a "Receipt".

Article 10/1 Determination of the Entrance Fee

A one-time entrance fee collected upon joining the association, together with the annual dues collected each year, is levied on members. The amounts of the entrance fee and annual dues and their timing and manner of payment are determined for a three-year period at each ordinary General Assembly meeting upon the proposal of the Board of Directors. In accordance with Provisional Article 1, the Provisional Board of Directors exercises this authority until the first ordinary General Assembly convenes.

Article 11 Bodies of the Association

The association consists of the following bodies:

General Assembly
Board of Directors
Board of Auditors
Honour Board

Article 12 General Assembly

The General Assembly, composed of the members registered with the association, is the highest authoritative body of the association.

The general assembly convenes once every three years; it discusses and decides on the items on the agenda.

The general assembly meetings are held at a specific venue announced in advance by the Board of Directors.

Quorum: The general assembly convenes with the presence of an absolute majority of the registered members entitled to attend. If a quorum is not reached at the first meeting, a majority is not required at the second meeting; however, the number of members attending the second meeting may not be less than twice the total number of members of the Board of Directors and Board of Auditors.

Matters to be discussed: Only items on the agenda are discussed at the general assembly meeting. However, matters requested to be discussed by at least one-tenth of the members present must also be placed on the agenda.

Article 13 General Assembly Meeting Procedure

The procedure for convening the general assembly, in accordance with Articles 74 et seq. of the Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 and Articles 12 et seq. of the Regulation on Associations, is as follows:

The Board of Directors draws up a list of members entitled to attend the general assembly and notifies them at least 15 days in advance — by written notice, e-mail, SMS or announcement on the website — of the day, time and place of the meeting and the agenda items. The announcement also states the day, time and place of the second meeting in case a quorum is not reached at the first. The interval between the first and second meetings may not be less than seven days or more than sixty days.

General assembly meetings may not be postponed more than once.

Procedure of deliberation: The association president opens the meeting, where a quorum is present, with an address. Before proceeding, a chair and a sufficient number of secretary members to conduct the general assembly are elected by open vote. Decisions are taken by an absolute majority of the members attending; however, proposals and decisions concerning amendment of the charter and dissolution of the association are taken by at least a two-thirds vote of the members present.

The general assembly is the highest and most authoritative body of the association; its decisions are final.

General assembly and board meetings may also be held electronically. Such meetings are conducted via electronic systems approved by the Ministry's Directorate General of Information Technologies. Members log in using a secure electronic signature or two-factor authentication. The systems used must have the design, backup and legally compliant archiving capacity to allow all procedures — forming the presiding board, voting, taking the floor and submitting motions — to be carried out electronically, and must have the necessary security against unauthorised access.

Article 14 Duties and Powers of the General Assembly

To accept, reject or accept with amendments the annual estimated income-expenditure budget prepared by the Board of Directors.
To accept or reject the reports of the Board of Directors and the Board of Auditors, and to elect the members of the association's bodies.
To purchase movable and immovable property and medical equipment in line with the association's purpose, and to cooperate with real and legal persons where necessary.
To make the final decision on objections regarding those accepted or not accepted for membership.
To decide, where necessary, on joining, cooperating with or working jointly with other organisations to achieve the association's objectives.
To examine and decide on proposals for amending the charter and dissolving the association.
To determine the dues amount for a three-year period.
To approve expulsion decisions upon the recommendation of the Honour Board and the proposal of the Board of Directors.
To decide on the opening of branches.

Article 15 Voting Procedure at the General Assembly

Each full member has one vote at the General Assembly; as a rule, all decisions are taken by open vote.
Elections for the Board of Directors and Board of Auditors are held by secret ballot; ballot papers sealed with the association's seal are distributed to members in a number equal to the members attending.
The elections for both boards may be held together or on separate ballots.
To determine the election results, two or as many persons as needed are appointed to count and sort the votes; the candidates receiving the most votes are elected as full and substitute members.
In the event of a tie, voting is repeated by secret ballot.

Article 16 General Assembly Minutes

The meeting minutes are signed by the meeting chair and the secretary members and delivered to the President of the Board of Directors.

Article 17 Extraordinary General Assembly

This is a meeting held, where deemed necessary or when matters requiring priority and urgent discussion arise, without seeking or awaiting the condition in Article 12(2).

Convening procedure: It is convened by the Board of Directors or the Board of Auditors directly, or by the Board of Directors upon the written application of at least one-fifth of the members registered with the association. The convening procedure is the same as that for the general assembly meeting set out in Article 13.

Procedure of deliberation: Only the matter or matters requested to be discussed are discussed at the extraordinary general assembly.

Article 18 Composition, Duties and Powers of the Board of Directors

This is the body that carries out the activities required to achieve the association's purpose, collects the association's income, makes the necessary expenditures and manages the association.

Composition: It consists of 9 full and 9 substitute members elected by secret ballot at the general assembly.

Substitute members fill vacancies among full members according to the order of votes received. In the event of a tie among Board candidates, a draw is held to determine the ranking; the draw is conducted by the Chair of the presiding board.

Division of duties: Within 3 days of their election, the Board members meet and complete the division of duties by electing from among themselves a president, a vice-president, a secretary general, an accountant member and a treasurer member by secret ballot. Decisions are taken by majority and signed by all members attending the meeting; any dissenting opinion is noted beside the signature. If the number of Board members falls below half of the full number after substitutes are also brought in, the general assembly is called to a meeting within one month.

President

The president's term of office lasts until the ordinary general assembly meeting; a president whose term has ended may be re-elected. The president represents the association. The president convenes the Board when necessary; signs correspondence and income-expenditure receipts on behalf of the association together with the relevant member; carries out transactions creating debts and rights on behalf of the association based on the authority granted by the Board; represents the association before official and private institutions; and is authorised to open/close bank accounts on behalf of the association and to withdraw money together with the relevant member.

Vice-President

Chairs Board meetings in the president's absence. In cases of death, resignation or departure, completes the president's term and exercises the president's powers.

Secretary General

Keeps the incoming-outgoing document register and the membership register; ensures correspondence is filed and prepares the meeting agenda; forwards member applications to the Board; co-signs correspondence with the president; and assumes the vice-president's duties in their absence.

Accountant Member

Keeps the association's income-expenditure ledger, prepares the estimated income-expenditure budget and manages the association's financial position; files and safeguards expenditure and income documents; and co-signs documents with the president.

Treasurer Member

Manages the association's financial affairs; checks bank accounts; co-signs payment documents with the president; issues dues, donation and receipt documents; deposits collected funds into the bank account on time; and provides the necessary information to the Board.

Duties and Powers of the Board of Directors

Takes the measures necessary to conduct all the association's affairs.
Prepares and implements the annual income-expenditure budget.
Calls the general assembly to ordinary and extraordinary meetings and makes the necessary preparations.
Examines and decides on the applications of those wishing to become members.
Decides on complaints, except for expulsion proceedings.
Prepares replies to incoming correspondence and drafts outgoing correspondence.
Organises trips, entertainment, conferences, concerts, congresses and similar activities to generate income for the association.
Implements the decisions taken at the general assembly.

The Board meets once a month; an absolute majority of the full number of members (at least 5 of 9) is required for a meeting. Decisions are taken by majority of votes; in the event of a tie, the president's vote counts as two. A member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings is deemed to have resigned. Board elections are held every three years following the General Assembly meeting.

Article 19 Board of Auditors

This is the body that audits the association's income and expenditure and the activities of the Board of Directors.

It consists of 3 full and 3 substitute members elected by secret ballot at the General Assembly; it elects a chair from among itself.

The Board of Auditors meets every three months to carry out the necessary examinations and delivers a report containing its findings to the Board of Directors.

A member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings is deemed to have resigned and is replaced by a substitute member.

Article 19/A Honour Board

The Honour Board consists of 3 full and 3 substitute members elected by secret ballot from among the full members by the General Assembly; its term of office is 3 years and members whose term has ended may be re-elected.

Within 7 days of the election, it meets and elects a chair from among itself.

Upon referral by the Board of Directors, it investigates members found to have engaged in conduct contrary to the charter, the association's objectives or professional principles; assessing the information and documents in a report, it notifies the Board of Directors of its opinion on sanctions such as expulsion, censure or warning.

It takes its decisions by an absolute majority of the full number of members. The duties, powers and responsibilities of the mandatory bodies may not be delegated to the Honour Board.

A member who fails, without excuse, to attend three consecutive meetings is deemed to have withdrawn and is replaced by a substitute member.

Article 20 Mandatory Books to Be Kept

The association keeps books on the operating-account basis in accordance with Law No. 5253 on Associations and Article 32 of the Regulation on Associations. If the annual gross income exceeds the limit set in the Regulation on Associations, books are kept on the balance-sheet basis from the following accounting period.

The books to be kept on the operating-account basis are:

Decision Book
Membership Register
Document Register
Operating Account Book

In addition to these, keeping a Fixed Assets Book and a Receipt Register is optional. If the balance-sheet basis is adopted, a Journal, Ledger and Inventory Book are also kept.

The books must be certified by a notary or the Provincial Directorate of Civil Society Relations before use (certification of the Ledger is not mandatory). The procedures and principles set out in Article 32 of the Regulation on Associations apply to keeping the books and records; the relevant legislation applies to books that may be kept electronically.

Article 21 Income and Expenditure of the Association

Sources of income

Membership dues
Grants, donations, sponsorship income and aid
Income from entertainment, trips, lotteries, exhibitions, symposia, congresses and similar activities organised by the association

Expenditures

General assembly expenses
Meeting expenses
Expenses for books, journals, bulletins, etc. to be published
Education expenses of members deemed appropriate upon the Board's proposal
Expenses for stationery, fixed assets and the purchase of necessary equipment
Legal proceedings and litigation expenses
Other expenses

Article 22 Rules on Income and Expenditure

All income of the association is documented with a receipt and all expenditure with an expense voucher. These documents must be kept for 5 years; the identity of the relevant person must always be written on the receipts.

The persons authorised to collect dues, grants, donations and similar income on behalf of the association are determined by a Board decision, and an authorisation certificate is issued. Income collection is carried out in accordance with the legislation in force; no one else is authorised to collect money.

Article 23 Internal Audit

All activities and accounts of the Board of Directors are audited by the Board of Auditors as set out in the charter. The authority to manage and supervise any facilities operated in line with the association's purpose and the staff employed at those facilities belongs to the Board of Directors.

Article 24 Amendment of the Charter

Amendments to the charter are made with the approval of a two-thirds majority of the members at the general assembly meeting.

If a majority is not reached at the first meeting, a majority is not required at the second; however, the number of members attending the second meeting may not be less than twice the total number of members of the Board of Directors and Board of Auditors.

A decision to amend the charter is taken by at least a two-thirds majority of the members attending the meeting.

Article 25 Borrowing Procedure

The association may borrow, where necessary, by decision of the Board of Directors to achieve its purpose and sustain its activities.

Such borrowing may be made through the purchase of goods or services on credit or in cash. The amount of the debt may not be such as cannot be met by the association's sources of income or would lead to payment difficulties.

Article 26 Branches

As of its founding date, the association has no branches.

If deemed necessary, a branch may be opened by decision of the General Assembly; the Board of Directors is authorised to implement the decision, and this authority is explicitly stated in the decision. To this end, a founding committee of at least three persons authorised for this purpose submits the branch establishment notice and required documents to the highest civilian authority of the place where the branch is to be opened.

Each branch must have a general assembly, a board of directors and a board of auditors (or an auditor). A branch board of directors consists of 5 full and 5 substitute members, and a branch board of auditors of 3 full and 3 substitute members. Branch bodies act in dependence on the headquarters. Branch general assemblies complete their ordinary meetings once every three years in February, at least two months before the headquarters general assembly.

Article 27 Dissolution of the Association and Liquidation of Assets

The association may be dissolved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members attending the general assembly.

Within 15 days of the dissolution decision, the Board of Directors notifies the local civilian authority in writing.

In the event of dissolution or closure, all assets of the association are transferred to a scientific institution, foundation or patient association operating in the field of neuromuscular diseases, to be determined by the General Assembly. If the General Assembly does not take such a decision, the assets pass to the Treasury.

Article 28 Supplementary Provisions

For matters not regulated in this charter, the general provisions of Law No. 5253 on Associations and the relevant Regulations apply; where that Law is also silent, the provisions of the Turkish Civil Code apply.

This charter consists of 30 principal articles.

Society Charter

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