The South African Medico Legal Society

Dear Colleague and Friends

If you could not make it to the Annual General Meeting on 02 February 2002 you really missed something.

We had a very positive and stimulating meeting with inspired speeches. Important decisions were made concerning membership, membership and future workshops. The most important change the SAMLS took is the fact that medical practitioners, mainly specialists, can be become full members, as long as they have worked for at least 5 years in the medico legal field of practice. This in fact means a radical change of the membership clause in the Constitution and Rules, Article 2. Medical practitioners are however encouraged to enrol in the course offered by Unisa and Tukkies in Medico Legal Law. The unanimous decision was further taken that future members need to be approved at general meetings after proposal by an existing member, and that membership could be taken away in the same manner after decisive evidence has ben brought to the meeting.

Good news is that the outgoing treasurer, Dr. Wilhelm Dreyer, an anaesthetist who recently acquired his LLB degree, will help set up our own website, with the following address:- www.samls.co.za. All the important information regarding the SAMLS will be available there, such as the Mission and Objections of our Society, the membership requirements, a full updated membership list, as well as all newly publicised newsletters. Summaries of important addresses at general meetings, as well as future workshops will also be accessible on our website. This website with become the focus of the SAMLS contact with the outside world. Please make use of this facility and promote our Society with or for future members or just interested parties.

A new Executive Committee was elected at the Annual General Meeting.

The president stays Dr. Anton van den Bout, Orthopaedic Surgeon and admitted Advocate, the vice presidency went to the current secretary, Mr Jan van Rooyen, a lawyer in private practice. The new secretary elected is Dr Dave Barnes, Orthopaedic Surgeon and well at home in medico legal matters. The new treasurer elected is Dr. Hennie Pienaar, a General Surgeon and LLB student. Prof Pieter Carstens was elected as a member of the Committee. Prof Carstens is the head of the Department of Criminal Law at the University of Pretoria.

The outgoing vice president, Prof Ren van Rooyen and Dr. Wilhelm Dreyer as treasurer, were thanked for their dedicated service during the past 2 years.

Constitutional changes of Article 9 were proposed and accepted that the vice president will in future be the President-Elect and the additional elected members of the Executive Committee will only be 1 or 2 as necessary.

New and exciting development of the SAMLS are beckoning. Because of the costs involved of advertising, as well as organising two yearly seminars, the membership was unanimously decided upon as R 750,00 per member per year. The Receiver of Revenue will be approached for a specific accreditation so that membership fees will be deductible from income tax. The Executive Committee will come together on 02 March 2002 to discuss future activities.

Two seminars or workshops are on the cards. The first will be on 11 May 2002 (the 2nd Saturday in May), dealing with the very important subject of Third Party Matters. Speakers from the Road Accident Fund, lawyers in private practice, lawyers from big insurance companies like Old Mutual, Liberty and Sanlam, as well as experienced doctors in private practice will be approached. The Executive Committee will apply for CPD accreditation, which will make it very attractive from medical practitioners to obtain ethical CPD points.

The second seminar workshop is planned for the beginning of October 2002. The subject will be "Expert Opinion and Expert Witnesses". The exact date will be known later. By unanimous decision it was agreed upon that the Midrand Protea Hotel would be our future meeting place. For paid up members no extra costs will be involved for these two seminars, but for guests a certain amount will be charged.

The two seminars will be widely advertised within the medical and legal fraternity and all members are asked to spread the good news about membership and seminars.

The SAMLS could really be a force to be reckoned with and become a powerful engine to plough the barren fields of medico legal science in South Africa.

Colleagues and friends please be active ambassadors of our honourable South African Medico Legal Society, stay involved in the new and exciting developments and inform the Executive Committee of any important news or new roads that can be taken.

The next newsletter will mainly be an extraction of the speeches of our main speakers at the Annual General Meeting on 02 February 2002 and will also contains details of the seminar of 11 May 2002 about Third Party Matters.

Regards from your President

DR ANTON H VAN DEN BOUT