Mr President
Past Presidents
Members of Council
Colleagues and friends
I bring you greetings from the MAJ Trust
Let me pause to congratulate the president and his executives for their perspicacity in planning and brilliantly executing this Founders Day celebration ,and pledging the proceeds of this event to the MAJ Trust.
I was appointed to this post in 2018 and am honoured to have been entrusted with the task of renewing the Trusts mandate and enabling the Trust to recalibrate its strategic plan which will enure to the benefit of the members of the MAJ.
We have noted your appeal to us Mr President to focus our attention on the primary goal of the Trust which you have eloquently summarised in your charge to us in which you reminded us that:
“There is no more powerful demonstration of charitable activity in an organization of professionals than for those who find themselves in major financial and other difficulties to be able to look to the organization for support and assistance “
Colleagues I crave your indulgence to remind you of the genesis of this very important arm of the MAJ and share with you our vision for the future .
In 1991 when the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) celebrated its 25th Jubilee, the President of the MAJ, Dr. Lucien Jones, together with the Executive, looked for an enduring way to mark the celebration. After much discussion, the Executive had little difficulty in deciding that the best way to do this would be to set up an Educational and Charitable Trust in the name of the MAJ. It was felt that through this instrument:
• Funds would be isolated from the general budget of the MAJ and used to relieve the distress of colleagues and their families when they found themselves in especially difficult circumstances
• Research would be promoted with particular interest to the members of the MAJ, and
• Educational activities would be supported for all members of the medical profession.
With the help of our lawyers, the documents were prepared and after lengthy negotiations with the government, the Medical Association of Jamaica Trust (The Trust) was registered in 1994. It was declared a registered charity which means that donations and other income, as well as payments made by The Trust were free of all taxes.
The Trust was launched in grand style in 1994, during the Presidency of Dr Margaret Green at the Medical Association of Jamaica Annual Awards Banquet.
The distinguished guest speaker was Professor Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Cape Town in South Africa.
On that memorable evening, Professor Ramphele congratulated the MAJ for launching the Medical Association of Jamaica Trust. She said,
“It offers you an opportunity to contribute to the development of a new professional ethos which goes beyond the individual, whilst fully acknowledging the importance and dignity of the individual person.
You stand on the threshold of exciting possibilities. The metaphor of standing at the threshold is an important one to reflect on for a minute.
You can look back with pride on your past achievements, but also forward and outwards with hope for a better tomorrow.
The threshold is also a safe space, because it is neither outside nor inside, one’s choices of where one’s next step is, are wide open.”
Mr President we accept your theme of engagement as the epicentre of your tenure and pledge to use the MAJ Trust as an instrument of engagement with the perfect profile to align with the general objectives of your administration.
The advent of the COVID pandemic may have retarded the re-emergence of the Trust as the hub of charitable activity in the MAJ but we will break free from its inhibitory grasp.
We will devise new strategies to safely achieve our objectives, despite the virus. There are a number of priority activities which cannot await perfect conditions so we will press on regardless. We will have
1.Regular meetings to plan and organize MAJT business
2.Restoration of the statutory position of the Trust with fast tracking of the name change and fulfilment of tax obligations
3.Re-position the Trust on a more strategic footing with Key Performance Indicators, Targets and Measures designed to achieve its strategic objectives in a sustainable manner.
It is essential, particularly in this early restoration phase, that the Board members meet as often as is required to effect the early phase of re-activation.
Procedures for benefit application and selection criteria will be reviewed within the context of today’s reality.
The method to be used to re-engage the membership and reintroduce the Trust to them, will be carefully considered.
We will sell the Trust as an organic member of the MAJ support structure, and be responsive to the needs of qualified members.
Members will be made aware that we can organize to take care of ourselves and each other through organized, cooperative effort.
These meetings follow a very tight and focused agenda with measurable deliverables to improve their effectiveness and the satisfaction of the attendees. We will :
Complete the cadre of Board members by appointing two additional (non-medical) members; one with legal expertise and the other with an accounting, finance or investment background.
Finalize the Trust Mission statement
Make a decision on and document any changes to the existing benefit structure of the Trust; example, the policy to avoid disbursement of cash, or the question of whether there should be coverage for health benefits which could be covered by the existing MAJ health insurance scheme
Finalize the procedure for application by (or on behalf of) a member for benefits from the MAJT. This should include a decision on any changes which might need to be considered on any application form now in use.
Review the selection criteria for benefits. The selection process will be balanced, transparent and familiar to all members.
Please be reminded that:
The Trust was established as a charitable organization but the rules governing that status have changed.
It is no longer legal for MAJT to hold such a status as the Charity Act now holds that for an organization to be considered charitable, “No part of its net income or assets ensures to the personal benefit of any governing board member or settler of the charity, or of any other private individual”.
Further, an entity such as the MAJT, has statutory obligation such as filing of annual returns and audited accounts to retain its bona fides as a company. These are several years in arrears and must be brought up to date.
A decision was made by the MAJ Council to support the decision by the MAJT, to effect a name change to MAJ Foundation and operate as a Limited Liability Company (Limited By Guarantee), so income would be subject to Government taxes but there would be no legal constraints regarding benefits to members.
The auditor is in the final stages of regularizing the accounts of the Trust and will be followed up to ensure the documents or other support that is needed, are supplied without delay and the process brought to an expeditious conclusion.
Mr President
Developing a strategy starts with a mission. I propose that the mission of the MAJT should be “To ensure that all incapacitated MAJ member with material needs, are offered support and assistance through the Trust”.
Our strategic objectives therefore will be to :
1.Execute regular fundraising activities to support the work of the Trust ie:
a.Solicit Lump sum donations
b.Yearly deposit of $250 per year since graduation
c.Small insurance policies with MAJT as beneficiary
d.Donations from MAJ Member Associations
e.Fundraising events; art auction, fish fry etc
f.Fundraising targets to be set yearly to align with benefits targets
2.Disburse benefits for members who satisfy the benefits criteria and apply for such benefits, or have applications made on their behalf
a.Make 20% of the asset base available for MAJ member assistance
b.Set targets for turnaround time for benefit applications and implement measures to achieve the targets (KPI for turnaround times is most important). Members should not be left waiting for inordinately long periods to receive assistance
c.Assemble a Benefits Sub-committee with well-defined Terms of Reference, operating procedures and deliverables
With this revised paradigm shift as at November 14 the Trust has approved assistance of $ 500,000 .00 to 2 of our colleagues in need and we are standing by to be of further ,assistance to other colleagues as the need arises.
The Trust is committed to serving you.
Let me therefore appeal to your charitable nature to help us to help you by making a pledge this evening to the MAJ trust fundraising drive.
Please make a generous pledge to the account number running on
your screen and entrust us to use your donations wisely for the good of our members .
