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| Chief
Executive Officers Report - Ezine April 2006 |
A
special report covering indemnity insurance
of practitioners. |
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In
our March 2006 ezine newsletter we discussed
professional responsibilities as a healthcare
professional in clinical practice. This issue
I thought it would be pertinent to discuss
what is expected from those members who are
busy acting in the capacity of elected executive
officers of their respective associations,
unaware that there are also a number of legal
and ethical principles involved in facilitating
the affairs of a legal entity such as an incorporated
society or registered association. |
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The
simple fact here is that whether you are
being paid a gratuity or doing it for the
share love of being periodically abused
and chastised etc the law is quite clear
where responsibility, ethical behaviour
and all reasonable care is concerned. Voluntary
executive members of boards and committee’s
with the title president, vice president,
secretary, treasurer and committee members
are all held collectively and/or individually
liable for the affairs of the association/society
in the same manner as those executives of
corporate businesses.
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The
simple fact is that as a professional, you are required
to display reasonable care skill and duty of care
at all times. As the premier professional organisation
in New Zealand for the registration and protection
of professional natural health practitioners the
Charter has encouraged since inception compulsory
insurance as a requirement of membership to keep
the cost of premium rates low as well as ensuring
that our professional practicing members are insured.
Complacency
in Professional Groups
There are a number of issues that are of concern
to each and every group of practitioners, however
insurance never seems to be such an important
issue until something occurs within the group
membership, or when mistrust, lack of confidence
or failure on part of the executive to comply
with due diligence, such as a breach of confidentiality
and other conduct related issues. This can cause
a great degree of sustained anger and criticism,
which may possibly present with a series of negative
effects on the organisation over a period of time,
with eventual confidence and membership being
lost.
The
Charter Acting As Insurance Broker
For years we have been informed by experts
who claim to have all the answers, that the Charter
only retains members because of the group insurance
scheme, and this is the main reason for retaining
annual membership levels.
This is of course nonsense. However, there are
those among the profession who do have this high
and mighty attitude obviously deluded enough to
think that to be the case. The Charter isn’t
just about insurance, and for those members who
have had the unfortunate situation of being confronted
with threatening litigation will testify to being
thankful that they were able to obtain the support
of their intermediary when they needed support.
The role of a professional body is to support
and uphold the right of a member to practice without
hindrance, and should the need arise provide uncompromising
support in times of need. The litigation process
is not just simply to hand the claim to the insurance
broker as one would normally do in the event of
household or vehicle insurance. The reason the
Charter is able to purchase the group scheme cover
at an affordable premium is solely because the
Charter acts an intermediary therefore majority
of the administration procedures which involves
time consuming costly work normally facilitated
by the insurer is handled by the Charter administration
office.
I have no doubt whatsoever that those groups who
claim to have an adequate insurance policy and
an appropriate administration infrastructure to
handle a claim/s once their policy is invoked
in fact have nothing of this magnitude. The result
of course will be that the extra costs, and there
are many, will somehow need to be extracted from
the membership.
Many
practitioners, and even their professional associations,
seem to turn a blind eye to the subject of insurance.
Constantly I am astounded that executive members
of professional bodies are not aware of their
legal responsibilities and even if they are their
seemingly passive stance on the issue.
An
insurance policy is a legal contract. The wording
of a policy is written in abstruse legal terminology
and to the untrained and unsuspecting eye meanings
are not always clear, can be misunderstood or
overlooked. We do not expect everyone to be an
expert at understanding legal contracts, however
there is no room for complacency which can lead
to mistrust and lack of confidence, or the other
extreme, which is to disregard exclusions or limitations
on cover, because it is easier to take a line
of lesser resistance. The somewhat negative image
of the Insurance Industry by the public in general
does not help matters either.
Next
month we will investigate and discuss the legal
terminology’s of insurance policies.
What exactly do they mean?
I will be inviting all members to participate
in the initial funding project and there will
be initiatives provided to assist in raising the
funds to complete this important project.
Click
here to read further
Get Rich Schemes
- A Fool and Their Money Going Their Separate
Ways.
- If you have to pay money to get money,
it has to be a scam!
-
Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud Overview
Indigenous
Traditional Knowledge
Traditional
Knowledge Conferences.
Integrative
Medicine Heath Trust Seminar
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| Affiliates
and Members Information |
Annual Membership and
Affiliate Fees
Charter Annual Membership and Affiliate fees for
2006/2007 were due 1st April 2006
to ensure full Insurance cover, all invoices for
Full members and Students. Included with the Invoices
was an Advertising Form for our annual Directory
2006. We would appreciate support from our members
by advertising in this edition, as the advertising
prices have been kept to a minimum and this means
that you can advertise your practice for a full
year for as little as $7.33 per month! Cut off
date for Inclusion in the 2006 Directory- fees
have to be paid by 31st May 06.
Charter
AGM- This will be held Saturday
June 24th 2006. Information will be forwarded
to all Affiliate Secretary’s in due course.
At the Charter Annual General Meeting this year,
Patrick Fahy will be presenting a number of issues
relevant not only to our organisation, but also
the profession in general. As far back as last
April, we have been working out the logistics
for the formation viability and sustainability
of a (HTO) Health Training Organisation (See article
2 in this issue) I am pleased to report that this
project is well underway and will meet the deadline
timeframe of early 2007 set for retaining the
NZQA national standars. The (HTO) Heath Training
Organisation will belong to the stakeholders therefore
it is important that all affiliates have the opportunity
to participate in its formation.
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Joke
of the month! |
Get
Well Soon !
A motorcycle cop was rushed to the hospital with
an inflamed appendix.
The doctors operated and advised him that all
was well. However, the patrolman kept feeling
something pulling at the hairs on his chest. Worried
that it might be a second surgery the doctors
hadn't told him about, he finally got enough energy
to pull his hospital gown down enough so he could
look at what was making him so uncomfortable.
Taped firmly across his hairy chest were three
wide strips of adhesive tape, the ultra sticky
kind. Written in large black letters was the sentence,
"Get well soon! Luv, from the nurse you gave
a ticket to last week!"
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| Expose
Yourself with Activa |
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activa
is fast becoming the way for people to pay
for their health and wellbeing purchases
throughout New Zealand.
As
an NZCHP member, you are invited to join
over 3,000 other health and wellbeing suppliers
as an activa
merchant and increase the awareness and
profile of your profession.
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“activa
is a great way for our members to gain exposure
to New Zealanders who are looking for ways to
enhance their health and wellbeing,” says
NZCHP Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Fahy. “The
activa card is likely to become the preferred
way to pay for health and wellbeing products and
services across New Zealand”.
Plus,
if you sign up as an activa
merchant before 23 June 2006,
you’ll be entitled to:
-
A reduced merchant service fee – only
1.45% (fixed until 1 July 2007)
-
NO registration fee
Simon
see in blue the word“find out” -this
is a hyperlink below make sure that it goes in
as one.
Find
out how activa
can benefit your business
activa
is brought to you by Activa Health Limited. The
activa Account and related banking services are
provided by ASB Bank Limited. Activa Health Limited
receives services fees from ASB Bank Limited and
Southern Cross Medical Care Society. Neither Activa
Health Limited nor the Southern Cross Medical
Care Society is a registered bank. A copy of ASB’s
disclosure statement is available free of charge
at
www.asb.co.nz
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We
ask you to forward all this information
on to e.g. colleagues, family friends etc, who are
supportive of keeping a Natural Health Industry Alive in New Zealand
To
un-subscribe click here.
Click
here to update your details.
This
Newsletter is provided for information purposes only.The content
for this newsletter has been sourced by the Charter administration
team and or the CEO.To submit articles for inclusion in these
newsletters, contact the Charter office.
The New Zealand Charter of Health
Practitioners Inc
Private Box 302 305 North Harbour Auckland New Zealand
Phone +649 414 5501
Fax +649 414 5503
email:
info@healthcharter.org.nz
www.healthcharter.org.nz
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