Founded to ensure ethical integrity in patient care and medical research, the CEHDF supports the Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine in upholding the highest ethical standards. It serves key hospital and academic stakeholders, including researchers, physicians, and care teams, and is occasionally called upon by the HDF administration to provide guidance on ethically sensitive decisions.

The HDF Ethics Committee reviews:

• Research protocols involving:
  • Invasive procedures performed on human subjects, including physical or physiological interventions such as venipuncture, biopsy, fluid aspiration, and exposure to ionizing radiation (e.g., X-rays) or other radiological methods.
  • The establishment or use of biobanks or data repositories containing human biological samples or personal data collected within the hospital setting for research purposes.
  • Retrospective or prospective studies utilizing patient medical records.
  • The collection, use, or analysis of human biological material or any fetal tissue derived from living individuals or cadaveric sources.
  • HDF personnel as research participants.
  • Research conducted within or involving HDF clinical or medical departments.
• Requests for related-donor organ or tissue transplants.
• Requests for medically indicated termination of pregnancy.
• Requests for ethical consultation from healthcare teams regarding complex treatment decisions (e.g., end-of-life care, therapeutic obstinacy).
• Ethical considerations related to emerging medical and scientific advancements.