[Difficulties and possibilities of ethics committees in a Latin-American perspective]

Although ethics committees in Latin America have become an essential element in the development and appropriation of bioethics on the continent, the experience of the reality of the working of the diverse existing committees nevertheless shows a certain structural weakness due in particular to the lack of involvement of the health and research institutions, the doctors themselves and the lack of training and methodology in the committees' work. Consequently it is especially necessary to develop strategies to allow the committees and their members to fulfil the missions for which they have been set up.