The
National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) first established in 2014,
aims to enforce standards and
protocols for ethically conducting clinical research in Nigeria.
The second set of members for the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC)
were inaugurated on Tuesday 23rd January 2023, by the Federal Ministry of
Health and Social Welfare under the leadership of Dr Tunji Alausa, Honourable
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare.
Mission
NHREC aims to actualise
the set of responsibilities outlined in the National Health Act, 2014.
Vision
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with support from the
H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration is committed to creating new
avenues for healthcare research and determined to make Nigeria the hub for
medical and clinical research in West Africa. NHREC aims to regulate and ensure
the ethical conduct of clinical research and the optimal protection for
Nigerians participating in clinical research.
Responsibilities
a. The responsibilities of the committee are as follows:
b. Set norms and standards for conducting research on humans
and animals, including clinical trials.
c. Determine the extent of health research to be carried out by
public and private health authorities.
d. Adjudicate complaints about the functioning of health research
ethics committees and hear any complaint by a researcher who believes that he
has been discriminated against by any of the health research ethics committee.
e. Register and audit the activities of the health research
ethics committee.
f. Refer to the relevant statutory health regulatory body,
matters involving the violation or potential violation of an ethical or
professional rule by a health care provider.
g. Recommend to the appropriate regulatory body such disciplinary
action as may be prescribed or permissible by law against any person found to
be in violation of any norm standard, or guideline, set for the conduct of
research under this Act.
h. Advise the Federal Ministry of Health and State
Ministries of Health on any ethical issue concerning research on health.
The Committee
The current NHREC committee is made up of a variety of medical, legal, and religious professionals, led by
Professor Richard A. Adegbola.
Professor Adegbola, MSc, PhD, FIBMS, FRCPath, FRCP (Hons), FAS, FAAS, FAMedS, is a Medical Microbiologist, Research Professor and Consultant at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Nigeria. His extensive career spans pharmaceutical industry, philanthropy, academia and diagnostic microbiology across three continents.
Further
contact information on NHREC and its initiatives will be provided soon.