MINISTER LAUNCHES GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMANS AS RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS Hon. Matia Kasaija, the Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Planning) has applauded UNCST and partners for building a robust system for scientific and ethical review of research involving human participants in Uganda. He said that “Research involving humans as research participants is necessary for advancing our knowledge of human biology and behavior to help us find safer and more efficacious remedies for diseases. The burden of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB; non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes as well as virulent fevers such as Ebola, Marburg and Bird Flu, underscores the need for research.” The Minister who is also in charge of science and technology matters in Uganda made the remarks during the launch of the Revised Guidelines for Research involving humans as research participants in Uganda, on Wednesday 9th July 2014, at the Kampala Serena Hotel. He also cautioned researchers to avoid unethical research practices that expose minorities and vulnerable groups to research without their informed consent. The Revised Guidelines for Research Involving Humans as Research Participants in Uganda were unveiled during the 6th Annual National Research Ethics Conference (ANREC) which took place on 8th – 9th July 2014. Dr. Julius Ecuru, Assistant Executive Secretary at UNCST said the guidelines were reviewed in order to accommodate new developments in Uganda’s human research landscape, including the establishment of Uganda National Health Research Organization (UNHRO) and research involving traditional medicine, among others. The guidelines are used by researchers and research ethics committees (RECs). Dr. Christine Grady, Chief of Bioethics at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) who was the Keynote Speaker at the Conference said that Uganda was a leader in research accountability among African countries. It was further observed that Uganda is the only African country that has an annual forum for sharing experiences and best practices in research ethics. The Guidelines are some of UNCST’s mechanisms for maintaining Uganda’s continued excellence and leadership in biomedical, agricultural, humanities and natural sciences research in the region. Uganda was the first African country to test the HIV-1 vaccine in late 1990s and early 2000s and it is among the leading African countries in agricultural biotechnology research and development. Some of the pioneering work in HIV and malaria has significantly contributed towards recent reforms in policies and standards for treatment and managing these diseases globally.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:04:23 +0000
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