The IRB is a committee providing a process for reviewing ethical considerations for research involving human subjects. All staff involving human subjects or social/behavioral research within the Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs (MNG-HA) and all affiliated facilities, must comply with the IRB regulations and seek IRB approval before starting their research projects.
The IRB takes into consideration different international and national laws and regulations, such as the Law of Ethics of Research on Living Creatures, Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights and others; as well the Islamic General Rules and Guidelines, and the general ethical principles like: Principle of ‘Beneficence’, the principle of ‘Justice’ and the principle of ‘Respect for Persons’.
The IRB committee is composed of the chairman, the co-chairman and the members. The IRB members include at least: two physicians, one affiliated academic staff, one nurse, one not affiliated member, one member with a nonscientific background and one member who is recognized as a reference in the application of Islamic principles. The gender of the board members must be inclusive of both males and females.