IFMBE officers meeting in Stockholm

The first IFMBE Officers meeting of the new AC was held in Stockholm on 7 - 8 March, 1998. The meeting took place at Huddinge University Hospital, the residence of the new Secretariat, some kilometres south of the Stockholm downtown area. Besides the officers, the past Secretary General Jos Spaan and Marijke Lensing were also invited to participate in this meeting. There are still several matters which need to be explained and discussed before the transition of the Secretariat to Stockholm is completed.

The main topics for discussion for this meeting were the preparation of printing the new directory and the budget for 1998. Our aim is to have the 1998 directory printed for the next AC-meeting, which will be held just before Medicon '98 in Lemesos, Cyprus. This means that we must update all the addresses for the national societies and to the members of every division, committee and working group. Consequently, colleagues who are in the chair for some of these groups have been contacted by post or e-mail to provide the Secretariat with updated address details. Additionally, some of the committees have been requested to write down their charters so that the committees' mission will be clear for all.

The budget was prepared jointly by the past and current Treasurers, Richard Kirsner and Mladen Poluta. Each item was discussed thoroughly and it was obvious that in some cases the figures were difficult to judge, because the bases were unclear. For example, there is a need to inform people dealing with the organisation of conferences or who work in committees and divisions, to be accurate, not only when making the budget for their activities but also when recording their costs.

One of the items discussed during the meeting was the sponsorship of conferences. In particular. during 1999 there will be several conferences in Europe which seek IFMBE co-sponsorship or co-operation. In some cases there seems to be confusion in what IFMBE co-sponsorship means and what rules we have for use of the logo. The Secretariat will compile an information package for the organisers in order to clarify policies for co-sponsorship, co-operation and endorsement for conferences and meetings. The November 1997 issue of IFMBE News contained an article on the policies and procedures of the use of the IFMBE logo and how to arrange conferences with IFMBE participation.

During the meeting, the officers found that immediate access to the by-laws and rules of the Federation makes it easier to discuss business. Before the next meeting each AC member will receive a booklet with these documents, which will be a very important tool for the members, together with Robert's Rules of Order.

Heikki Teriö

Secretary General