MOH News

Workshop on medical ethics opened
13 November 2007
The MOH Undersecretary for Planning and Development Dr. Obeid Al-Obeid said the fast and ever changing developments in the field of medicine have created many problems. "We need to study those problems and try to formulate controls for them", he said. "The new findings of biomedical research constitute a good example for such problems".
 
Dr. Al-Obeid, who was addressing the opening session of the workshop on the ethics of medical research, which is organized at King Fahad Medical City by the World Health Organization (WHO), represented by the Regional Office of the Mediterranean Basin, said specialists expect rapid developments in the field of medicine, similar to what is occurring in the field of telecommunications and electronics. "For example, the human genome project have been launched and rapid developments have been occurring in the field of stem cells and cloning during the last decade", he said. "All such developments will transfer the medical field into a new era which totally differs from the traditional medicine to which we are accustomed. They will impose real challenges towards abiding by the ethics of the medical profession".
 
According to Al-Obeid, the efforts being exerted by legislators and religious scholars during the past years in the different countries for drafting laws aiming at regulating the research activities in the field of cloning and stem cells are the first steps towards a worldwide agreement on an international law in this regard.
 
"In order to be able to confront the new challenges, the best way for us as Muslims is to resort to the principles and ethics originating from our faith", he said. "The different local, regional, and international medical organizations must consider the variations in ethical, social, humanitarian and ethnic principles and teachings during their research and other activities in the different domains of medicine. The human being must be respected and held safe of any harm, even if such harm services his interests".
 
He said the Royal Court's guiding for formation of a national committee under the name "The National Committee on Biomedical Ethics" aims at formulating and following the implementation of the standards and ethics of biomedical research for the purpose of upgrading all preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and psychological aspects, without ignoring human dignity, justice, and preservation of the rights of individuals and communities in accordance with the Islamic principles and the traditions of Saudi Arabia. The concerns of the committee will also include the ethics of biomedical research and their implementation in hospitals, universities, and research centers. It will, moreover, guide the bodies concerned with research studies to form biomedical ethics committees in the hospitals and research centers in the Kingdom. 



Last Update : 12 April 2011 09:51 PM
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