UEHP - European Union of Private Hospitals

Bylaws

CHAPTER I: CONSTITUTION AND OBJECTIVE

Article 1: Nature designation and term

Among the existing Associations and national Federations that represent the Private Hospitalisation in Europe, there is an instituted European association which is named “The European Union of Private Hospitalisation - UEHP”. This Association is non-profit and does not belong to any political party.

The UEHP has an unlimited term and only the Extraordinary General Meeting of it’s members is in a position to decide on its dissolution.

Article 2: Objectives

In general and in accordance with the principles of “The Declaration of principle and intent of Private Hospitalisation”, adopted in ROME on 18 June 1993, the priority of the UEHP is to promote a human and a personalised medicine, focused on the patient and on his/her particular needs.

The UEHP therefore takes an interest in any issue linked with healthcare organisations in Europe on a statutory, political and economic point of view or on any other that may have an impact on the quality of healthcare services.

The aim of the UEHP is to promote, defend and represent the Private Hospitalisation in Europe and to take an interest in political and economic conditions that encourage the private initiative in the health field. The UEHP also cautions the research and the defence of best working conditions and management of private care institutions.

Consequently, the UEHP

  1. Will represent and defend the specific interests of Private Hospitalisation in Europe to the central institutions of the European Union. The UEHP also attempts to permanently promote its values and influence on a permanent basis as well as favouring all initiatives suitable to its development;
  2. Will organise the dialogue among its members and will attempt to emerge consensual positions on subjects on sanitary policy in Europe. Therefore, the UEHP would also be able to organise congresses and seminars, to issue publications, studies, projects, defence programs or common programs on public relations;
  3. Will defend the free establishment of private care institutions;
  4. Will study and encourage the introduction of private hospitalisation in the healthcare organisations of the acceding countries.

The UEHP operates in plenary sessions that gathers all members to take positions on general policies such as the participation of independent hospitals to the healthcare distribution.

Article 3: Organs

The organs of the Association are:
  1. The General Assembly of members
  2. The Council
  3. The Board
  4. The General Delegation

CHAPTER II: MEMBERS – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS – VOTING STRUCTURE

Article 4:

  1. The Members are the signatory associations.
  2. Moreover, the General Assembly can by a majority of the present votes accept a membership of any national organisation located in Europe
    On condition that:
    1. The organisation is representative of the private hospitalisation defined by national conditions.
    2. The organisation pays the fee set by the General Assembly according to the number of beds that are affiliated.
    Several associations may be admitted from the same country but they must be comprised of a single national delegation by internal agreement.
  3. Associate members, correspondents and observers
    1. Healthcare institutions or institution groups of private hospitalisation in countries where no representative national association is a member of the UEHP can be accepted as associate members by the General Assembly.
    2. The General Assembly can agree on active organisations as correspondent members that work in the field of hospitalisation and that are interested in the activities of the UEHP. The member association of the country where the acceding candidate is located must agree to his membership.
    3. The General Assembly can accept as a member observer any organisation or person working in the field of healthcare which could make a positive contribution to its objectives.

Policies and procedures relative to membership and which takes a full part of the present bylaws specify the membership clauses of the associate members, correspondents and observers.

Article 5:

Each association is represented by a number of delegates equal to the number of votes they possess. The head of the delegation casts the votes, irrespective of the number of delegates that are present.

The delegates may have the assistance of advisors and experts at the General Assembly with agreement from the Council.

Article 6:

  1. Each national delegation has two votes at the General Assembly.
    Added to these two votes are:
    • 1 vote when the national delegation represents 10 000 to 20 000 beds;
    • 2 votes when the national delegation represents 20 001 to 40 000 beds;
    • 3 votes when the national delegation represents 40 001 to 60 000 beds;
    • 4 votes when the national delegation represents 60 001 to 80 000 beds;
    • 5 votes when the national delegation represents more than 80 000 beds.
  2. The right to vote is subordinated to the total payment of the fee.
  3. The associate members have voting rights at the General Assembly.
  4. The correspondent members participate in the General Assembly on a consultative statutory.
  5. The observer members can take part in the General Assembly on a consultative statutory at the invitation of the President.

CHAPTER III: GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Article 7:

  1. Except for what is defined under paragraph 2 hereinafter, the votes are passed in the General Assembly by two-thirds of the voters present. If those represent more than half of the total members and associate members who participate in the vote and who have paid the fee for the previous year.
  2. If the General Assembly reaches a quorum of at least the half of the members and associate members, it is competent to take stands
    On:
      1. The election of the President of the Assembly and the members of the Council;
      2. The admission of new members;
      3. The issues submitted by members 15 days before the General Assembly;
      4. The check accounts;
      5. The budgets;
      6. The settings of the fees;
      7. The modifications of the Headquartes;
      8. The resolutions submitted to the General Assembly.
    2. The modifications of the bylaws and the dissolution of the Association, the appointments of liquidators and the allocation of assets are taken at a extraordinary General Assembly.
    3. 1.The decisions related to the points under paragraph: a), point 5,6,7,8 and under paragraph b), require the presence of two-thirds of the members and the majority of four-fifth of the votes. However, the resolutions related to point 8 under paragraph a) voted by a simple majority can be used by the UEHP only if the names of the associations that have voted on the matter are mentioned. The other associations are not involved with those resolutions. For points 5 and 6, a second Assembly convened on the same subject, not gathering the quorum, can decide with a simple majority of the votes.

CHAPTER IV: COUNCIL MANAGEMENT

Article 8:

The General Assembly elects for a period of two years a President of the General Assembly and the members of the Council. (the CEHP ceases to exist and the article goes on with the opening of article 9. that is included)
This Council is composed by one member per country and by two members per country if the national delegation represents more than 50 000 beds. Each of the members of the Council must be and must remain mandatory of his/her national delegation.

The Assembly elects for each designed member of the Council, a substitute member who will take his/her place at the Council meetings in cases where the member can not take part in the meetings. This way, each country is represented at the Council meetings.

Article 9:

  1. 1.The Council elects for a mandate of two years, a Board composed by a President of the Council, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The Treasurer can also be independent but he must come from one of the acceding countries. In this case, he will be an effective member of the Council.
  2. 1.The same country can not have more than two functions such as President of the Assembly, President of the Council, Vice-President of the Council, Secretary and Treasurer.
  3. The fees are not refundable.
  4. 1.The Council can confer the honours to a former President of the Council who will be an ex officio member of the Council on a consultative statutory.

Article 10:

The Council creates an internal Board of leaders in question on the article 9, paragraph 1.

Article 11:

  1. The Council manages the Association. It will establish the mandates and the missions of the Board.
  2. It appoints a General Delegate who is in charge of the executive functions and to whom it can give a mandate to represent the Association.
  3. The President of the Council and the General Delegate, within the limits of his mandate, represent UEHP. The President can delegate this representation to any other member of the Board.

The Council elects liaison officers, the office of studies and the useful working groups.

CHAPTER V: HEADQUARTERS

Article 12:

The registered office is located in Rome and the General Delegation in Brussels.

CHAPTER VI: FEES

Article 13:

The budget is voted on each year by the General Assembly which fixes the necessary fees to cover it.

This fee is calculated according to the number of beds represented by each association with a minimum fixed to 3.500 beds except by dispensation for particular and motivated reasons granted by the General Assembly.

The General Assembly sets the fee of the associate members, correspondents and observers. The General Assembly can exempt a new member from paying the fee during the first year.

Adopted in Rome the 8th October 2004 and modified in Rome, the 10th February 2006.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS, OBSERVERS AND CORRESPONDENTS

  1. The General Assembly approves the associate members, correspondents and observers. The number of votes of the associate members must not exceed one-third of the votes of the full members.
  2. The associate members attend the General Assembly and the Council meetings. They may take part in the working groups at the invitation of the President of the Council. The correspondent members may participate in the General Assembly and may attend the Council meetings and the working groups at the invitation of the President of the Council. The observer members may attend the Assemblies, Councils and works of the UEHP on invitation. They can send their opinions and their proposals. They receive the documents handed out by the office of secretary.
    The associate members and observers can not be represented by more than one person each.
  3. The associate member has one voting right.
    The correspondent member has a consultative statutory.
    The member observer has a consultative statutory.
  4. The annual fees of the associate members, correspondents and observers are set by the General Assembly.

They may also pay additional contributions to support the UEHP.

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