Siba: Research vital in planning

THE chairperson of the research advisory committee and PNG Institute of Medical Research director Prof Peter Siba wants the government to use research as an important tool in development.
He said that research was important to develop a society and would like to see it used in achieving all the visions and plans launched recently by the government.
Siba was speaking at the launch of the national HIV/AIDS research capacity plan 2010-13 in Port Moresby yesterday.
He supported comments by National AIDS Council Secretariat director Wep Kanawi that an integrated bio behavioural survey must be carried out.
Siba said this survey was an important tool that should be looked at now and he hoped PNG researchers and institutions would take the lead in driving it.
He also expressed disappointment that local researchers were not being acknowledged for their work (data and information collection) by authors of certain publications about HIV/AIDS in PNG.
Siba said that far too often data was taken out and local researchers were not acknowledged in the publications as co-authors.
He stressed that researches involved human beings thus their rights must be respected and protected for a research to be ethical.
At that, Siba urged organisations conducting researches to present their work to the Research Advisory Committee for screening.
AusAID head in PNG Stephanie Copus-Campbell, who launched the plan, pledged Australia’s full support in its implementation.
“There are many aspects of HIV/AIDS that are murky like why do people take the risk when they have information?
“We need research to understand what works in PNG.
“Circumcision worked in Africa (as a response to the AIDS epidemic) but will it work in PNG?” she asked.
The aim of the plan was to build up the capacity of research facilities including local researchers in the country’s higher learning institutions including research institutions.