Overview on health research ethics in North Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to overview the status of health research ethics in Morocco and NA countries, with reference to other Middle Eastern countries. The EU and NA Migrants: Health and Health Systems project (EUNAM) has supported the revision of the status of health research ethics in NA countries, by holding meetings and discussions to collect information about research ethics committees in Egypt, and revising the structure and guidelines of the committees, as well as reviewing the literature concerning ethics activities in the concerned countries. This overview has revealed that although efforts regarding health research ethics in NA countries need to be enhanced, in the form of establishment of more institutional ethics committees, noticeable efforts have been made to regulate research ethics in certain countries in the Middle East, This can be seen in the new regulations, which contain the majority of protections mentioned in the international guidelines related to research ethics. For most of the internationally registered research ethics committees in NA countries, the composition and functionality reflect the international guidelines. National Research Ethics laws and increased collaborative activities between these countries are crucial requirements. Furthermore, although there is growing awareness of research ethics in these countries, which extends to teaching efforts to undergraduate and postgraduate medical students, National guidelines for strengthening ethical review systems, as well as enhanced educational training of research ethics for investigators, are needed in this region.Keywords: health research, ethics, North Africa