An international workshop on the development of standard operating procedures during an epidemic opened on Wednesday March 15 in Kinshasa.
Through this workshop, the Francophone African Health Ethics Network (RAFES) wants to provide the ethics committees of its network with a document (pŕo to be used in the event of a health emergency.
This international meeting should therefore reflect on the development of standard operating procedures (SOP) to deal with epidemics.
Thus, from March 15 to 17, 2023, the national health ethics committees of the DRC, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea Conakry, the Central African Republic and a representative of the Pasteur Institute will propose harmonized SOPs on the review of research protocols during an epidemic. A great moment of experience sharing in the evaluation of research protocols during an epidemic.
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Why organize such an international-level workshop?
For Professor Félicien Munday, President of the CNES (National Health Ethics Committee), such a meeting was of capital importance. Indeed, he says:
« In our different countries, we have faced epidemics. How have ethics committees in each country protected people who have taken part in clinical trials? That’s the question we’ve all asked ourselves« .
Bringing together experts in health ethics around the management of epidemics in our different countries is very important. Especially since the DR Congo has also experienced epidemics such as the coronavirus and Ebola.
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The RAFES in a few lines
The SEA-RAFES (Strengthening and EnhAncing the Réseau Africain Francophone d’Éthique en Santé) project is a partnership between French-speaking African National Ethics Committees (CNE) and research institutions.
Its main objective is to build the capacity of ethics committees in French-speaking Africa in order to equip them to better act in situations.
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Arthur Bitambi