RESOLUTION No. 240, of June 5, 1997 The Plenary of the National Health Council at its Sixty-Sixth Regular Meeting, held on June 4th and 5th of 1997, in the use of its regimental powers and attributions conferred by Law nº 8.080, of September 19, 1990, and Law 8,142, of December 28, 1990, and considering the need to define the term "users" for effect of participation in the Institutional Research Ethics Committees, as determined by Res. CNS 196/96, item VII.4, Resolves that: a) A broad interpretation is applied to the term "users", covering multiple collectivities, which benefit from the work developed by the Institution. b) User representatives are people capable of expressing the views and interests of individuals and / or groups research subjects of a given institution and that are representative of collective and public interests several. c) In reference institutions for specific audiences or pathologies, representatives of "users" must necessarily belong to the target population of the unit or to an organized group that defends their rights. d) Where there are forums or councils of entities representing users and / or carriers of pathologies and deficiencies, it is up to these bodies to appoint user representatives on the Ethics Committees. e) The indication of the names of user representatives for the Research Ethics Committees must be informed to the Corresponding Municipal Council. CARLOS CÉSAR S. DE ALBUQUERQUE President of the National Health Council I ratify CNS Resolution No. 240, of June 5, 1997, pursuant to the Decree of Delegation of Competence of December 12, 1997 November 1991. CARLOS CÉSAR S. DE ALBUQUERQUE Minister of State for Health