The ministry is working on rules for the use of genetic tests
Work is underway on the assumptions of the draft law to regulate genetic testing for health purposes, said Deputy Minister of Science Jacek Guliński at a meeting of the parliamentary committee. Poland has no regulations on this matter, he added.
Deputy Minister presented the Ministry of Science report of "activities related to the issue of ethics in science and technology" to the Parliamentary Committee on Innovation and New Technologies.
According to Guliński, the assumptions of the draft law to regulate genetic testing for health purposes have been prepared by the Panel on Molecular Genetic Research and Biobanking.
Prepared assumptions include prohibition of discrimination based on genetic characteristics, as well as the creation of a system of biannual accreditation of institutions conducting such tests. They also contain definitions of terms such as human embryo and human fetus.
Furthermore, they describe the issue of the patient’s consent, genetic counseling, access to genetic test results, storage and destruction of the results of such tests and genetic testing prior to birth.
The Panel that prepared the assumptions was appointed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and in April 2013 the project was transferred to the Ministry of Health. At the moment, the assumptions of the draft law are being prepared the Ministry of Health. Guliński explained that the project was based largely on the solutions set out in the European Convention on Bioethics. "So far we do not have any regulations on the subject, and they are necessary" - said Deputy Minister of Science.
At the meeting of the parliamentary committee, Guliński also spoke on the results of the work of the Panel on Best Academic Practices. The Panel exists since 2011. "The team has so far processed 105 cases. Most of them concern misconduct in the management of intellectual property, plagiarism committed by both academics and students" - said Deputy Minister of Science.
"What we usually have in mind when talking about unethical behaviour, plagiarism, is only one example of unethical behaviour. We have a problem of nepotism, disregard of the participation of graduate students and students in the products of scientific work, and unethical behaviour in relation to intellectual property of institutions" - described Guliński.
Vice President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Andrzej Górski, present at the meeting of the committee, said that the issue of ethics, which should be considered and standards of practice developed, is monitoring of citizens. "We have more and more cameras, and drones. In our country, there are no regulations on this issue" - explained Górski.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
ekr/ krf/ jbr/ mrt/
tr. RL
Przed dodaniem komentarza prosimy o zapoznanie z Regulaminem forum serwisu Nauka w Polsce.
