National bioethics panel holds first meeting

MUSCAT: The National Bioethics Committee held its first meeting of the year 2018 on Thursday under the chairmanship of Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani, Vice-Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), and Chairman of the Committee at the University Council Hall. The meeting discussed several topics on the agenda of the meeting, such as: proposing the early medical examination of genetic diseases, with the concerned parties, and discussing the 8th Intellectual Forum entitled ‘Ethical Aspects of Transgenic Food’, where the working group held several meetings to conceptualise the themes of the forum, selection of speakers. The conference will be held in September 2018.

The committee is also working on the establishment of a national document on the ethical principles of scientific publishing. It seeks to establish a national system for the development of bioethics committees by monitoring their performance and confirming their benefit to the accepted international standards, and raising awareness of the bioethics and the introduction of the committee and its specialties and activities through the establishment of a media programme. — ONA