Biomedical Research
This article was originally published in SRA
Executive Summary
Government starts consultation on privacy rights in Singapore
Government starts consultation on privacy rights in Singapore
The government-appointed Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) of Singapore has published a consultation paper to assess opinion on how personal information should be protected and used in biomedical research. The consultation has been distributed to 70 organisations and the public are also encouraged to make submissions. The closing date for comments is 31 July 2006.
The paper splits its recommendations into seven separate sections as follows1,2:
- legal protection of personal information;
- informed consent;
- epidemiological research and public health research;
- clinical audit;
- additional considerations about consent;
- privacy and confidentiality; and
- access to medical information by employers and insurers.
It is hoped that by developing a legal privacy protection regime Singapore will be brought into line with most other countries that conduct biomedical research. This could open up the door for potential international collaboration as well as other benefits.
References
1. Bioethics Advisory Committee press release, 14 June 2006, www.bioethics-singapore.org/media/press.html
2. The use of Personal Information in Biomedical Research: A consultation paper, 14 June 2006, www.bioethics-singapore.org/media/PI%20Consultation%20Paper.pdf