Benefit-sharing with human participants in health research in South Africa: A call for clarity.

This study critically examines the concept of benefit-sharing in the context of health research involving human participants in South Africa, identifying a significant gap in the precision and application of terminology. It introduces a new terminological framework designed to provide clarity and facilitate standardisation in both national and international discourse on benefit-sharing. The analysis extends to the complex legal landscape in South Africa, highlighting the nuances of mandated, permitted, and prohibited practices of benefit-sharing across various statutes.

Introducing dynamic consent for improved trust and privacy in research involving human biological material and associated data in South Africa.

Biomedical research using human biological material and data is essential for improving human health, but it requires the active participation of many human volunteers in addition to the distribution of data. As a result, it has raised numerous vexing questions related to trust, privacy and consent. Trust is essential in biomedical research as it relates directly to the willingness of participants to continue participating in research.

Medicine and the Law.

Medico-legal claims in the South African health sector have markedly increased since approximately 2007. This is noteworthy as money spent on these claims from the public health budget, is money which should have been spent on the healthcare priorities identified in the National Department of Health Strategic Plan. As such, it becomes important to understand why these claims have shown drastic increases.