Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) First in India to be Accredited for High Ethical Standards in Research by the Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER)

NEW DELHI, November 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

In yet another first for Indian corporate hospitals, the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute & Research Center (FEHI) has been accredited by the Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER) for its high ethical standards in research. The award was presented at the annual conference of SIDCER for the year 2015 at Nagasaki, Japan, and is an important international recognition that acknowledges the robustness of the ethical clinical research standards followed by FEHI.

The research team is headed by Dr. (Prof.) Upendra Kaul, Dean & Executive Director, Cardiology & Academics and Research Department. He is ably assisted by Dr. Sameer Shrivastava, Director, Department of Non Invasive Cardiology, Priyadarshini Arambam, Sr. Manager Clinical Research Operations, Fortis Healthcare and a strong eleven-member team.

The Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER) is a network of independently established regional fora, for ethical review committees, health researchers and invited partner organizations. The primary objective of SIDCER is to contribute to human subject protections globally, by developing local capacity for ethical review of research involving human subjects and for developing policies on the ethics of health research. The SIDCER vision is to ensure protection for all human participants in health research globally.

The body recognizes the quality of the committee based on five standards: Structure and Composition of the Ethics Committee; Adherence to Specific Policies; Completeness of its Review Process; After Review Process; Documentation and Archiving.

Col. Harinder Chehal, Regional Director,  FEHI, said, "This award has been accredited to FEHI amongst several other hospitals conducting research on human trials. Till date, only government-run medical institutions in India have made it to the list of nominees. The research team at FEHI is the first corporate research team to have met the stringent demands of the framework that SIDCER has established, and winning the award is a significant feather in our caps. We are extremely proud to have a strong research team lead by example. This award is a reflection of our commitment and dedication towards the highest ethical practices in cardiac care. We look forward to greater success in our future endeavors in research and trials."

Dr. Upendra Kaul, Dean & Executive Director, Cardiology & Academics and Research Department, said, "SIDCER is the only body in the world that accredits medical institutions for ethics in research and human clinical trials. The team has worked ceaselessly to uphold the highest standards of ethics that have been established by FEHI. It also places a very big responsibility on us and makes our mission in this field of research all the more resolute. Our endeavor will always be to lead the organization to many more victories."

SIDCER mission is to foster competent, independent, in-country decision-making to promote the responsible conduct of human research through its international network and to monitor the quality and effectiveness of ethical review worldwide, with mutual understanding and respect for cultural, regional and national differences. A certificate of recognition is granted for a maximum period of three years or for shorter durations. This is at the absolute discretion of the SIDCER committee and the accreditation can be withdrawn at any time if it is established that the recognition criteria are no longer being met.

About Fortis Escorts Heart Institute: 

Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI), Delhi, a pioneer and centre of excellence in cardiac care, is celebrating 25 years of path-breaking work and service to the numerous heart patients, who have benefitted from treatment, at this outstanding facility. Armed with clinical expertise and cutting-edge medical technology, the hospital has set enviable benchmarks in Cardiac Bypass Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Interventional Cardiology, Non-invasive Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. Till date, FEHI has successfully completed over 1,72,000 Coronary Angiographies, over 90,000 Cardiac Surgeries and almost 52,000 Coronary Angioplasties, in addition to several life-saving procedures. The hospital also performed India's first Trans Catheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) and Bioresorable Vascular Scaffold (BVS); Asia Pacific's first Directional Atherectomy, Angioscopy, Drug Eluting Stenting, etc. Over the years, FEHI has cloned a Heart Care Network of 19 hospitals and Heart Command Centers in India and abroad. It has also launched the revolutionary e-ICU program, enabling remote and timely access to critical care. Fortis Escorts Heart Institute has won numerous awards and accolades, the most recent among them being the 'Best Cardiology Hospital' at the ICICI Lombard & CNBC TV18 India Healthcare Awards for 2012, 2013 and the No 1. ranking in the Private Cardiac category Hospital by The Week Nielson Best Hospitals Survey, 2014 and 2015.

For more information, please contact:  

Fortis Healthcare Ltd.

Raghu Kochar 
+91-9811617256 
[email protected]

Vidya Pawan Kapoor 
+91-9899996189 
[email protected]