ABSTRACT
The Declaration of Helsinki was issued by the World Medical Association at its meeting in Finland in 1964. Shortly after that the first Finnish research ethics committees (RECs) were established. It nominates the members of the research ethics committees for the district. The National Advisory Board on Health Care Ethics (ETENE) is appointed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health for few years on the basis of amendment 333/1998 to the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients. It guides and discusses issues related to ethics in healthcare. It also has a sub-committee on medical research ethics (TUKIJA) that evaluates protocols on medical research. The functions of RECs in Finland are, however, not limited to assessment of research protocols. The RECs in Finland must, in their evaluation, weigh the need for protection of the study subject against the public interest of society.
