The formation of Koperasi Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia Berhad @ KOOP MMA was proposed through a resolution at the MMA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2016 by Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo and Dr Rajkumar Maharajah, and accepted by all members present at that AGM . Through the selfless service and foresight of its founder Board of Directors, the Kooperasi Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia Berhad (KOOP MMA) was registered on 13 March 2017.

We started functioning almost immediately with our core members. Any member of MMA can become a member of KOOP MMA by subscribing via a minimum of RM1,000 or up to a maximum contribution of RM10,000. There is also a non-refundable joining fee which is currently set at RM200. Our membership is growing steadily and it seems to be a promising journey so far.

Many have asked what is in it for them by joining KOOP MMA. A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.

KOOP MMA is registered under the Cooperative Societies Act 1993. Its objectives are to
promote the economic interests of its members in accordance with cooperative principles. Basically, it is a business organisation voluntarily formed, owned, controlled and run by members to cater for their economic and social needs. All members are equal and have equal say in its management. However, the day-to-day management is in the hands of the Board of Directors (BOD), elected at the AGM. Any surplus income is shared according to your investment, after approval from the AGM.

Since we started small, we were reliant on the goodwill and logistic support of our “parent” organisation, MMA. The BOD and members owe a great debt of gratitude to the MMA Council for allowing us to use the good name of MMA, services of its staff and office space as needed. In recognition of this close relationship and the assistance given, KOOP MMA and MMA have signed an agreement to lay down the principles for cooperation between us.

The initial two years of the KOOP MMA’s existence was mainly taken up by identifying business opportunities and partners. The BOD decided that we would not enter into any enterprise requiring us to invest a large amount of our capital. We therefore looked for partners who were willing to invest their money in return for our access to a potentially lucrative market of professionals. These efforts have started to bear fruit.

Recently, KOOP MMA set up a joint venture company, EMedAsia Sdn Bhd, which runs a digital marketplace. Our marketing.