IFMSA Asia-Pacific Region

Internal Operation Guidelines (IOG)

adopted on IFMSA 12th Asia Pacific Regional Meeting, June 2016
Last updated on 8th June 2016

Contents

1. General - About IFMSA Asia-Pacific Region

2. Regional Director and Regional Team
a. Regional Director for Asia-Pacific
b. Regional Team Members
c. Regional Team Online Meeting (RTOLM)
d. Reporting System by Regional Director, Regional Team
3. Regional Communication Management
a. IFMSA Asia-Pacific Yahoo! Group
b. IFMSA Asia-Pacific NMO Server
c. IFMSA Asia-Pacific Facebook Group
4. Asia - Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM)
a. Host Selection
b. Basic Elements of APRM
c. Registration and Payment
d. Events
e. Logistics
f. Finance
g. Information and communication
h. Miscellaneous
i. Other Responsibilities of the Regional Director and Regional Team
j. Other Responsibilities of the Host NMO/ Organizing Committees

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 1. General - About IFMSA Asia-Pacific Region
The Asia-Pacific region, of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
(IFMSA) comprises the following National Member Organizations (NMOs):

NMO Name Country / Status of Year Joined

Territories Membership IFMSA
Australian Medical Students' Australia Full Member ?
Association (AMSA- Australia)
Bangladesh Medical Students' Bangladesh Full Member 2010
Society (BMSS)
IFMSA-China China Full Member 2009
AMSA-Hong Kong China/ Hong Associate Member 2005
Kong
FJMSA-Fiji Fiji Candidate Member 2014
MSAI-India India Candidate Member 2015
Centre for Indonesian Medical Indonesia Full Member 2001
Students' Activities - Ikatan
Senat Mahasiswa Kedoktoran
Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI)
IFMSA-Japan Japan Full Member 2000
KazMSA-Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Full Member 2014
Korean Medical Students' Korea (Republic Full Member 2010
Association (KMSA) of)
MMLA-Mongolia Mongolia Candidate Member 2015
Nepal Medical Students' Society Nepal Full Member 1985
(NMSS) Aus
New Zealand Medical Students' New Zealand Full Member 2009
Association (NZMSA)
IFMSA-Pakistan Pakistan Full Member 2001
AMSA-Philippines Philippines Full Member 1999
AMSA-Singapore Singapore Candidate Member 2014
Federation of Taiwan Full Member 1995
Medical Students -
Taiwan (FMS-
Taiwan)
IFMSA-Thailand Thailand Full Member 2002
AMSA-Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Candidate Member 2016

Total NMOs: 19
Total Full Member: 13; Total Candidate Member: 5; Total Associate Member: 1
Last updated on Asia Pacific Regional Meeting 2016, Bangkok, Thailand

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 2. Regional Director and Regional Team
A. Regional Director for Asia-Pacific
The Regional Director (RD) is IFMSA Official and is elected as per the regular procedures,
but within their own Regions by the full members with voting rights of the Region. The RC
assists the Vice-President for Members, and generally the Executive Board and the Team of
Officials, in their tasks at the Regional level. The term of office for the RD is from October 1
to the September 30 of the following year. The tasks of the RD Asia-Pacific are:

● To organize a Regional Meeting outside the IFMSA General Assemblies in

coordination with the National Member Organizations of Asia-Pacific.
● Assist the development of National Member Organizations in the Region.
● Assist in increasing cooperation between National Member Organizations in the Region.
● Assist in maintaining contact with National Member Organizations in the Region.
● In coordination with the Vice President for Members, recruit new National Member
Organizations in the Region, as well as support them through the process of
application for membership within IFMSA.
● Take responsibility for the communication with the IFMSA partners on a regional level
in coordination with the Liaison Officers.
● Assist the Standing Committee Directors in the development of the Standing
Committees s in the Region.

B. Regional Team Members

The Regional Team will be composed of the Regional Director, as well as Regional
Assistants. The term of office for the members is from October 1 to September 30 of the
following year.
i. Selection and Appointment of IFMSA Asia-Pacific Regional Team Members
● A call for relevant assistants on NMO server and Yahoo group on September
1 with the relevant procedure to be followed.
● The final selection of regional assistants should be finalized according to the
coordination with Team of Officials
● RD elect must send an acknowledgement email to all candidates, saying that he or
she has receives the candidatures and applications. An appointment for online
interview should be done before the appointment.
● Results must be announced to all candidates.
● Appointment letters will be issued by the IFMSA General Secretariat..

C. Regional Team Online Meeting (RTOLM)

● The 1st RTOLM should be conducted before October 30.
● RTOLM can be conducted every month, either with whole team or small
group discussion.
● Meeting minutes should be sent within 2 weeks after the meeting to all NMO
Presidents on asia-pacific@ifmsa.org.

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 D. Reporting System by Regional Director, Regional Team
● Mid-Term report by the Regional Team will be presented during the Regional
Sessions in IFMSA General Assembly March Meeting.
● A closing report will be presented and adopted during the Presidents' Sessions in
the IFMSA General Assembly August Meeting.

3. Regional Communication Management

A. IFMSA Asia-Pacific Yahoo! Group
● URL of the group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ifmsa-asiapacific/
● To subscribe to the mailing list: send a blank email to ifmsa-
asiapacific- subscribe@yahoogroups.com
● To send email through the mailing list: Send to ifmsa-asiapacific@yahoogroups.com.
● This channel is used for public dissemination of information among medical students
in Asia-Pacific.
● This group will be managed by the Regional Director.

B. IFMSA Asia-Pacific NMO Server

● To send an email: asia-pacific@ifmsa.org
● This server is only used internally for the NMOs and Regional Team.
● This channel is used only by the NMOs in IFMSA Asia-Pacific, and should NEVER
be used for public dissemination of information.

C. IFMSA Asia-Pacific Facebook Group

● URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1536242173282767
● This Facebook page will be managed and maintained by the Regional Director in
collaboration with the Vice President for Public Relations and Communication

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 4. Asia - Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM)
The annual meeting of the IFMSA Asia-Pacific region provides a venue for IFMSA members in the
region to exchange knowledge and experience, tackle shared regional and IFMSA-related issues,
and get the feel of an IFMSA General Assembly.

Date Venue Theme and Remark

March 2004 Manila, Philippines Adolescent Health
March 2005 Phuket, Thailand -no information available-
March 2006 Jakarta, Indonesia -no information available-
March 2007 Osaka, Japan Mental Health
August 2008 Taipei, Taiwan Climate Change
March 2010 Bangkok, Thailand Alternative Medicine
July 2011 Hong Kong, China Traditional and Complementary Medicine ; 1st Joint
Conference with Asian Medical Students' Association
- International
September 2012 Penang, Malaysia Transitions 2012: Doctors-in-training Changing the
Global Health Landscape of Asia-Pacific
September 2013 Yogyakarta, Health A Forgotten Wealth: Universal Health
Indonesia Coverage for Healthy and Sustainable Development
September 2014 Dhaka, Bangladesh Disaster Risk Management
June 2015 Manila, Philippines Resilience: Empowering the medical professionals
for the Challenges of the new generation
June 2016 Bangkok, Thailand Economic Medicine

A. Host Selection
● Any full or associate national member organization (NMO) of IFMSA in the Asia-Pacific
region, as well as candidate NMOs for more than a year, can host the APRM.
● The Regional Director (RD) should send a call for applications for hosting the succeeding
year's APRM on March and set the deadline for submission on May.
● Prospective hosts should submit an application package containing the following:

a. Letter of motivation
b. City, venue and hotel (for both APRM and Pre-APRM)
c. Dates for both APRM and Pre-APRM
d. Proposed theme/s
e. Organizing Committee members and contact details
f. Minimum and maximum budget
g. Sponsorship strategy
h. Visa regulations and requirements
i. Travel options to the host country
j. Tentative early and late registration fees

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 ● The Regional Director should announce the candidates for APRM host and shares the
application packages to the NMOs within 1 week after the deadline of submission.
● Candidates host for the following year's APRM should give a 10-minutes presentation at
the Regional session during the IFMSA Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting. (e.g. APRM
201X will be voted during the --- 201X.)
● NMO Presidents or heads of delegation then vote for the following year's APRM host
through secret ballot.
● The Regional Director announces the result in Asia-Pacific NMO server (asia-
pacific@ifmsa.org).
● A simple majority (more than 50% of NMOs voting) will determine the host for the following
year's APRM
● Once the APRM host is selected, the Organizing Committee is given two months after
election to improve further on the application package and then should forward it to the
NMOs containing the final venue, dates and theme at the very least.
● From election until the APRM, the chairperson of the Organizing Committee should be in
constant communication with the Regional Director for the planning and preparations of
the entire APRM.

B. Basic Elements of APRM

i. Venue and Accommodation - The venue should accommodate at least 150 participants,
have facilities for big and small sessions, as well as wireless internet and enough
washrooms at the very minimum. The accommodation may be the same as meeting
venue, or a hotel or dormitory close to the venue. The Organizing Committee should also
secure venue and accommodation for pre-APRM workshops, which can be located in a
city different from the APRM proper. In case if the venue for Pre-APRM workshops is
different from the APRM proper, the OC should arrange transport to the APRM venue

ii. Dates - the duration for the APRM needs to span at least 5 days (arrival day, 3 working
days, departure day) and days to the preAPRM (arrival day, 2 and half working days,
departure day - the departure day of preAPRM is the same as the arrival day of APRM).
The total number of days should not exceed 9 days in total. The dates need to be one
where most of the NMOs in the Asia-Pacific region are available to attend.. The chosen
dates should not coincide or not to be very close with the March or August Meeting dates.
It is highly recommended that some of the days of the APRM fall on a weekend to minimize
absence from school among participants.

iii. Theme - the proposed theme should be relevant to the region. Hosts should keep in mind
the availability of external speakers based in their country who are expert on the theme
subject. Once the host has been selected, the Organizing Committee should coordinate
with the Regional Director in order to finalize the theme of the APRM. The theme should
be agreed by the Asia-Pacific Regional Team and the Organizing Committee.

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 iv. Organizing Committee (OC) - the OC should have at least: a chairperson, a vice
chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and directors for the following tasks - registration and
visa, theme and social events, venue and accommodation, logistics, sponsorship,
publicity and marketing, information and communication technology (including website),
pre-APRM.. A list of names, including their contact details (email, contact number) should
be included in the proposal.

v. The Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific, with the Regional Team, serve as the main
consultant to the OC.

C. Registration and Payment

i. Schedule - Early registration should be finished at most 3 months before the start of
APRM. Late registration should be finished at most 2 months before the start of APRM.
Pre-APRM registration should open during the first day of early registration and close
during the last day of late registration. All registrations should be finished at most 2
months before the start of APRM.

ii. Cancellations and Substitutions - Those who cancel at least one (1) month before the
start of APRM should be made eligible for 50% refund. After that, no refunds can be
made. On the other hand, substitutions can be allowed up to two (2) weeks before the
scheduled APRM.

iii. Procedure - a website should be installed by the host, which will allow smooth registration
by participants. Once registered, the OC will facilitate the approval of participants by NMO
presidents. The accepted registrants will then be sent an official invitation letter by the
OC.

iv. Quotas - each NMO in Asia-Pacific is allowed 6 early registrants and 10 late registrants.
However, the host NMO may reduce the number of participants as long as they provide
all NMOs with a valid reason (e.g. Limited capacity of the NMO to handle a huge number
of participants). Extra slots are to be equally divided among all requesting NMOs, and the
number depends on the availability of slots as well as the capacity of the Organizing
Committee to accept more participants.

v. Other participants - Members of the Executive Board, Team of Officials and Regional
Team, as well as other individuals appointed with special tasks by the Regional Director
(such as pre-APRM workshops / APRM trainers), are not counted in the NMO quotas.
Furthermore, the OC may waive the registration fees for the aforementioned delegates,
depending on fundraising status. The OC may also increase slots for local participants
but not to the point of having more than 50% of APRM participants from the host country
(excluding OC members).

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 vi. Fees and Payments - the participation fees should cover at least: accommodation,
lodging and meals, transportation during the RM and meeting activities. The common
currency to be used in the fees payment is USD. The OC can decide to accept another
currency, but all fees should be announced in USD. APRM registration fee schedule
follow the NMO categories (A - F) used during General Assemblies. The registration fee
of the Regional Meeting should cover at least 50% of the total budget. The maximum fees
that can be charged for the Pre-APRM is USD 150. These fee requirements apply for full,
associate and candidate NMOs of the Asia-Pacific region. Other participants beyond
these categories may be charged according to host preferences with the consultation of
IFMSA VPM and RD. All payments should be made to the host via money transfer to a
bank account opened by the host. The list of NMOs categories must be provided by the
IFMSA Vice President for Finances. The payments related to early registration must be
done 3 weeks after the respective closure of registration. The payments related to late
registration and pre-APRM must be done 2 weeks after the respective closure of
registration. If a participant can only pay on arrival, the NMO President from the respective
participant must have a formal agreement with OC. If the participant don't pay the
respective fee this will be consider NMO debt.

vii. Visa Support - All information regarding visa applications, including a list of countries that
are require a visa for entry, should be made available to all members of IFMSA Asia-
Pacific. Furthermore, the host should appoint a specific person responsible for providing
visa assistance to registrants, with a unique functioning email address.

D. Events
i. Standing Committee Sessions - All standing committee sessions should be prepared
by the regional assistants, with assistance from the Regional Director and Standing
Committee Directors
ii. Executive Board Sessions - The Executive Board sessions should be prepared by the
Regional Director, with assistance from the IFMSA VP M.

iii. Pre-APRM - The Regional Director makes the call for proposals for pre-APRM workshops
five (5) months before the scheduled APRM. All proposals should have been submitted
to the Regional Director a month after the call was made (or four months before the
scheduled APRM). The Regional Director, in cooperation with the Regional Team, has to
then select the pre-APRM workshop topics according to the quality of submissions as well
as number of participants. The Regional Director should then inform all proponents of the
proposed workshops one week after the late registration deadline at the most (since it is
only then when the total number of pre-APRM participants will be determined.) The
proposers/ facilitators are then required to coordinate with the Organizing Committee
regarding the materials and logistical requirements of their respective workshop.
Registration for Pre-APRM can be built in with the APRM registration. After informing the
registrants of their acceptance to the workshops, the OC and the Pre- APRM workshop
coordinators should then communicate with the accepted participants regarding the
workshop.

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 iv. Theme Events - Clearly, theme events should revolve around the proposed APRM theme
and may explore subthemes and utilize different modalities (lecture, panel, debates, film
showing, community activities etc) The Theme Events Director should collaborate with
the Regional Director regarding plans for theme events.

v. Socials - This may include, but not limited to: opening gala dinner (with keynote address);
national food and drink party; cultural night; field trips; and closing ceremony. Social
Program will act in accordance with IFMSA Code of Conduct
vi. Activities Fair and Activities Presentation - The Organizing Committee, on the other
hand, should coordinate with the Regional Director the schedule as well as venue and
logistical requirements for both events.

E. Logistics
● Transport - The OC should be able to provide transportation between the airport and the
venue of APRM and pre-APRM at least on the first (arrival) and last (departure) days, as
well as transport for field trips and social events outside the main venue. As much as
possible, transport costs should be incorporated in the registration fee.

● Food - The OC should be able to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner during the entire
APRM as well as pre-APRM. Morning and afternoon tea-breaks are optional. Special
options such as Halal food or vegetarian food should be made available to participants
with dietary restrictions. These requirements should be inquired early on in tandem with
the Registration committee.

● Meeting Rooms and Other Material Requirements - The OC should provide at least 6
meeting rooms, each capable of handling at least 20 participants, for all Standing
Committee and training sessions. Additional rooms of larger sizes must also be provided
for theme events, projects fair, and other activities. Furthermore, the OC is responsible
for providing the material requirements needed for the sessions, such as flipcharts,
markers, and LCD projectors. The Regional Director, along with the Regional Team and
trainers, should provide the OC with a list of required meeting rooms and materials ahead
of time.

F. Finance
● Proposed budget - The budget should be clearly stated and itemized in the proposal. It
should consider how many delegates are projected and how much fees as well as
sponsorship are expected to be collected. The budget should be kept at a level that is
workable, feasible, and reasonable.

● Sponsorship Strategy - The OC should provide information as to how much fundraising

will be done, as well as projected income and list potential sponsors. The OC should also
prepare a sponsorship kit as well as packages, to be checked by the Regional Director

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 before dissemination. APRMs fundraising must act in accordance IFMSA Fundraising
policies. Furthermore, the OC should coordinate with local and national governments,
including agencies related to tourism, health and education, to seek for assistance
regarding local tourism, sources of speakers etc.. In the sponsorship document, OC must
complies to the guides in IFMSA's Corporate Identity Manual. IFMSA VP Finances will be
responsible for providing fundraising support to the event.

● Travel Assistance Fund (TAF) - A TAF can be established in order to support the
attendance of participants from Category A, B and C countries in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Up to three delegates per NMO can apply for TAF, but the NMO quotas are unchanged
(unlike in General Assemblies, where recipient NMOs can send only up to three
delegates). Mandatory donations can be collected from both early and late registrants:
additional USD 10 for Category C and D; USD 25 for Category E and F. The Regional
Director sends a call for TAF applicants. The Regional Team and OC will work together
in choosing recipients based on needs and merit, and in dividing the TAF according to
amount raised and number of applicants. The OC will be responsible for using the TAF in
paying for the early registration fee of selected applicants and disbursing the funds for
travel assistance.

G. Information and communication

● The OC and the Regional Director must send regular reminders and updates to the IFMSA
Asia-Pacific NMOs, especially before the start of the registration.
● An invitation booklet and a registration manual must be handled to the NMOs at least a
week before the launching of the registration period.
● APRM Guide) booklet must be sent out the NMOs a month before the commencement of
APRM. This should include information about arrival and departure, final programme,
materials and clothing to bring etc. This must be checked first by the Regional Director
before dissemination.
● The OC can also use social media like Facebook, Twitter as well as the registration
website to send updates to the NMOs.

H. Miscellaneous
● Security - although the OC is not responsible for any accidental event, the OC should
exhaust all efforts to ensure safety and security of the participants. The OC should
coordinate with local and national authorities with regards to providing security during the
entire APRM, include pre-APRM.

● Green APRM - The OC should strive to minimize waste of energy and resources, proper
handling of garbage and ultimately reduction of CO2 emissions at all times, from
preparation to the conclusion of the APRM.

● Media Partners - The OC may have media partners in order to publicize the event to a
wider audience before, during and/or after the APRM. The aims of media coverage are:

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 1) to educate the public about IFMSA medical students, health issues, and APRM itself;
2) to reach potential sponsors and partners; 3) to reach prospective participants who are
not reached by conventional communication means such as email announcements. This
shall be done in collaboration with the RD and the VP for Public Relations and
Communication.

I. Other Responsibilities of the Regional Director and Regional Team

● Liaise with the Executive Board and Team of Officials of IFMSA regarding their
attendance in APRM, official support for APRM events, IFMSA protocols (i.e. corporate
identity), and IFMSA merchandise.
● Assist the Organizing Committee in inviting external speakers.
● Assist the Organizing Committee in preparing sponsorship letters.
● Invite medical students from Asia-Pacific region who are not yet part of IFMSA.
● Invite Alumni to attend the APRM.
● Assist the Organizing Committee in addressing any accidental event.
● Provide technical and moral support to the Organizing Committee at all times.

J. Other Responsibilities of the Host NMO/ Organizing Committees

● Seek recognition and support from the government, universities and other agencies.
● Provide participants with conference kits, including a copy of the programme.
● Document the entire APRM (photos, videos, etc)
● Facilitate the printing needs of IFMSA, including merchandise and publications (i.e.
APRM souvenir program booklet, Pulse APRM issue, IFMSA T-shirt, certificate)

c/o WMA B.P, 63,01212 Ferney-Voltaire CDEX –FRANCE Tel. +33 (450) 04 47 59 Fax. +33 (450) 40 59 37 www.ifmsa.o