Questioning Ethics in Global Health

Twenty-five years ago it was a common occurrence for anthropological fieldwork to be undertaken without securing ethical clearance, even if it involved collecting blood, urine or stool samples and/or investigating sensitive issues. This rarely happens now. Anthropologists working in the arena of global health, for example, are supposed to secure ethical clearance from their universities and gate-keepers as well as relevant ethical boards based at hospitals or Ministries of Health and allied research institutions.¹ Indeed, there is sometimes an apparently endless series of procedures, both formal and informal.