The Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Health, Dr. Kayode Oladehinde has called for improved ethical standards in medical research, towards protecting the rights and health of human participants, as well as promoting responsible conduct during research.

Dr. Oladehinde made this call in Abeokuta, during a 3-Day training for Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) members, describing health research as essential to collecting important information about disease trends and risk factors, outcomes of treatment or public health interventions, functional abilities, patterns of care, and health care costs and use.

According to him, ‘’we are keen at ensuring that all researches involving human beings are reviewed by this ethics Committee to ensure that the appropriate standards are being upheld. That is why we have put together this training".

He stated that the State government had invested massively in the health sector over the past few years, towards ensuring that the residents enjoy good health, noting that ‘’part of the investment is in the area of health research because of the importance of data for proper planning, and implementation of healthcare interventions’’.

The Permanent Secretary assured that training of the Committee members would be continuous, as the crux of their responsibility was to stimulate activities in the health sector through ethical gatekeeping of medical research proposals.

Speaking on behalf of the participants at the training, the Chairman, State HREC, Dr. Adekunle Alabi described the constitution of the Committee as long overdue, appreciating Governor Dapo Abiodun for prioritising the upgrading of the health systems in the State.

He expressed optimism that the training would strengthen the capacity of Committee members.