Ethics committees are relatively new phenomena in the Czech Republic. From the history of the origin of et¬hics committees and the development of their roles, it is possible to document the function of certain ethical mechanisms in society. Ethics committees were established according to the recommendations of The Declaration of Helsinki ethics code and relevant legislation was created when they had demonstrated their usefulness. More recently ethics committees háve incorporated many bureaucratic elements in their work and so new legal responsibilities háve emerged. Common European legislation has not solved some of the pro¬blems associated with the workings of ethics committees, these problems can probably only be solved after thorough discussions on national and international levels. The authors offer a historical overview of the ori¬gin and development of the role of ethics committees as a basis for more informed discussion in Czech health care institutions. They also suggest the wider use of existing ethics committees.

        Key words: : Ethics committee, research ethics, clinical evaluation, ethical consultation.