CAMBIN-CNERSH Workshop in Cameroon
CAMBIN-CNERSH Workshop in Cameroon
The CAMBIN-CNERSH Workshop held from 25th August to 27th August 2021, J & A Oben Foundation, Entrée Kameni, Rue Damase, Yaounde- Cameroon under the theme: “Workshop on Capacity Strengthening and Discussions on Health Research Ethics”
The workshop on Capacity Strengthening and Discussions on Health Research Ethics aimed at strengthening the capacity of members of National Ethics Committee of Cameroon (CNERSH) in the domain of Health Research Ethics (HRE) and at raising national awareness among stakeholders in the health and research sectors about the SNECFA project. This workshop brought together National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), researchers, scientific bodies, ethics institutions, and members of regional ethics committees.
Discussions and Trainings during these 3 days centered around 3 themes:
Day One: Health Research Ethics in Chad
Day Two: Ethics Evaluation, Public Health Emergencies and Vulnerability.
Day Three: Enhancing the Visibility of National Ethics Committees
The aim of this second workshop was to strengthen the capacity of members of the National Ethics Committee of Chad (CNBT) in the domain of Health Research Ethics (HRE). This workshop also sought to raise national awareness among stakeholders in the health and research sectors about the SNECFA project. To achieve this, National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), researchers, scientific bodies, ethics institutions, and members of regional ethics committees were invited.
The discussions and training for each of the three days were focused on a specific themes as follows;
Day 1 (August 25, 2021)
The workshop started at 9:00 with a speech from the representative of the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. He welcomed and thanked everyone for being present and making out time to take part in the Capacity strengthening workshop organized by SNECFA. He emphasized on the importance of bioethics and Research health ethics in our society calling on a critical reflection on our attitudes towards the domain of science and health as well as our desire to ameliorate public health. He acknowledged that the workshop will surely boost their efforts in realizing their mission as a committee. This opening speech was followed by a word of welcome from Prof Godfrey Tangwa, the Vice Chair of the Cameroon Bioethics Initiative. The following presentations were done in day one
- Presentation of the SNECFA Project (by Dr. Mbih Jerome)
- Presentation of CNERSH, its activities, evolution, functioning, challenges and perspectives.
(By Dr. Therese Abong, the Vice Chair and interim Chair of CNERSH) - Presentation of CAMBIN, its activities, evolution, functioning, challenges and perspective (by Prof Godfrey Tangwa, Vice Chair of the Cameroon Bioethics Initiative)
- The Role of DROS in the governance and guidance of health research in Cameroon
- CNERSH and CAMBIN- What works, Challenges and Opportunities
Day 2 (August 26, 2021)
On this day, experiences were shared on the procedure of protocol evaluation during routine and public health emergencies. On this question, there were two presentations, the first from Prof. Evina Akam and the second from Prof. Godfrey B. Tangwa, each of which reflected the perspectives of CNERSH and CAMBIN, respectively. Other presentations were on:
- International Recommendations on Protocol Review during Public Health Emergencies: The Perspective of WHO (By Dr. Nchangwi Syntia)
- Considerations of Vulnerability in the evaluation of Protocols during PHEs (by Prof Somo Moyou)
- Vulnerability and health research in routine and emergency situations (by Prof Godfrey Tangwa)
- Opportunities for Capacity Strengthening in Health Research Ethics (by Dr. Nchangwi Syntia Munung)
Day 3 (August 27, 2021)
The following were the main topics of discussion for day three:
- A practical training on TRREE online module (by Apungwa Cornelius, SNECFA Project Manager).
- Opportunities for increasing the visibility of national ethics committees through the SNECFA project and sharing experiences on other initiatives (by Dr. Jerome Mbih Tosam)
Through the different presentations and discussion points the goal of this workshop was attained. A major success for the workshop was the full participation of CNERSH and the joint development of the workshop agenda by CAMBIN and CNERSH to meet each other’s expectations.