INSTITUTIONAL ETHICS COMMITTEE
July 12, 2023 | News | Reading time: 3 min
TThe Kintampo Health Research Centre Institutional Ethics Committee (KHRCIEC) was established on 18th October 2004. Highlights of the inauguration included a very well-attended, colourful ceremony at the Centre’s premises. The attendance of the seasoned bioethicist Prof. Paulina Tindana at the opening ceremony was notable. She gave members an orientation into the activities of ethics committees. The Committee started with eight (8) members and has a current membership of fifteen. Membership is drawn from KHRC, Traditional Authority (community representatives), Health Services, Academia and Civic Education.
Mission and Terms of Reference
The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) as an important unit within the Research and Development Division of the Ghana Health Service has the responsibility of contributing to the improvement of the health status of all people in Ghana and the middle sector in particular through appropriate research activities. As an independent representative body set up to evaluate, review and decide on the ethical merits of KHRC research protocols and any other biomedical research projects in the central part of Ghana (Bono East, Bono, Ahafo, and surrounding communities), the IEC is committed to ensuring and guaranteeing the rights, dignity, safety and protection of all individuals and communities who participate in research studies within its jurisdiction. The KHRC IEC review various types of research proposals including Clinical trials, Epidemiological studies, Social science studies, Implementation research and all other human subject research.
The Committee is constituted and operates in conformance with local and international ethical standards and guidelines. The IEC is guided by the Declaration of Helsinki, ICH guidelines, Belmont Report, CIOMS guidelines, 45 CFR 46, 21 CRF 50, 21 CRF 56, and other applicable regulations and guidelines governing the conduct of human subject research. According to these guidelines, all research involving human subjects should be carried out in accordance with the fundamental ethical principles of respect, beneficence and justice.
The Committee is registered with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protection (OHRP). The OHRP Federal wide Assurance number for the Committee is 00011103; the IRB registration number is 0004854. The IEC reviews both internal and external protocols from KHRC staff, individuals/groups and students.
Membership
The IEC is multidisciplinary in composition, including persons with relevant but diverse scientific expertise, balanced age and gender distribution, who have the qualifications and experience to review and evaluate non-scientific, scientific and medical ethics aspects of research protocols.
In conformance with international ethical regulations and guidelines, at least one member of the Committee is a clinical scientist, one a non-scientist and one a community representative.
Meetings
Except for unavoidable circumstances, the KHRC IEC shall meet once every month (third Tuesdays) at 2:00 pm. In a case where the IEC is not able to convene or in expedited review circumstances, the IEC Administrator in consultation with the Chairperson shall provide an alternate meeting date and time.
The Principal Investigator of a research protocol is responsible for following protocol submission procedures as outlined in the Initial protocol submission requirement and application form. All initial research proposals must be submitted by email to the KHRC Protocol Administration for Standard Submission (PASS).
Please click on the link below and follow the guidelines to submit your study proposal for review;
Initial protocol submission procedures: Initial protocol submission requirement
Contact persons
- Fred Kanyoke
- PASS & IEC Administrator
- Secretariat Email: ethics@kintampo-hrc.org
- Tel: (+233) 556847860
- Ms. Ophelia Opoku
- Assistant Administrator (PASS & IEC)