WHO/EMRO, Regional Webinar on Ethics of COVID-19 Research in EMR: Governance, Regulations, Monitoring Mechanisms
The meeting was inaugurated by Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator, Research and Innovation of EMR office.
Then, the meeting continued by a lecture by Prof Amir Jafarey, Head of Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, Karachi, Pakistan on the background of his center, Pakistan experience, proposed recommendations”.
The second speaker was Prof Bagher Larijani, Director of Center for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Iran, who provided the meeting audience with talks on Iran experience against Covid-19.
He said,” Iran initially achieved great success against Covid-19 through smart physical distancing and quarantine, however, recently a second wave has emerged as the restrictions loosened”.
Dr. Larijani then pinpointed that Covid-19 Pandemic has generated several ethical challenges in healthcare delivery and research and we have tried to address them through different national strategies.
He continued by saying that Economic sanctions during decades of international isolation had helped Iran to become self-sufficient in personal protective equipment; however, sanctions against Iran damaged many plans through a wide range of mechanisms.
Director of Center for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center asserted that Religious scholars have strongly supported adherence to medical recommendations and advise believers to follow preventive precautions.
He then listed the main ethical developments in Iran against COVID 19 as development of strong surveillance system and monitoring bodies, foundation of responsible regulatory systems for management of distribution of drugs and medical instruments ,considering vulnerable individuals and minorities in strategic planning, and resource allocation consideration in distribution of ventilators and other resources.
Dr,.Larijani added that the disclosure of personal information collected during the covid-19 pandemic may expose individuals to several risks, and individuals and communities should be aware of the information that will be gathered about them, the purposes for their use.
He ended his speech by saying that Iran Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) has accelerated the process of registration of clinical trials. Around 1400 research projects have been approved by 200 RECs across the country, and Around 100 RCTs have been registered in Iran Registry of Clinical Trials
In the rest of this remote meeting, Dr. Thalia Arawi, Founding Director, Salim El-Hoss Bioethics & Professionalism Program, Beirut, Lebanon discussed Lebanon experience and proposed recommendations in this regard.
more information: mehr.tums.ac.ir/ZFeF