‘Getting ready’

eclaring the government’s move to bolster Barbados’ resilience against future health emergencies, the government has been prioritising research, innovation and collaboration, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said on Monday.

The announcement came at a ceremony to celebrate the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recognition of the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory as a National Influenza Centre and a member of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS).

Mottley emphasised the inevitability of another pandemic and the need to learn from the COVID-19 experience.

“Pandemics are usually a cycle of panic and neglect and it is up to us as a government and as an institution, or as institutions like PAHO and WHO, to ensure that that panic and neglect is removed from our experience in preparation for the next pandemic and we, as a government, are choosing to walk the walk and not just talk the talk,” she said.

The prime minister highlighted the country’s recent investments in public health infrastructure, including the Best-dos Santos Lab and the upcoming Barbados Living Lab, which will provide enhanced research capabilities in various areas.

“The continued investment in the Barbados Living Lab, which carries us outside of the narrow confines of only monitoring and diagnosis, but looking also at research, is important to us because we do not believe that our people are just drawers of water and hewers of wood, but our people have the capacity also to be at the cutting edge of the research capabilities that we need in this world to make lives better,” she said.

Mottley also revealed ongoing conversations with pharmaceutical producers to build a regulatory framework for the industry, with the aim of positioning Barbados as more than just a “fill and finish” hub, but a key player in pharmaceutical research and development.

These efforts, according to the PM, are not only aimed at pandemic preparedness but also at preventing brain drain by creating local employment opportunities in the growing healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

She said: “This country cannot continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in ensuring that our citizens can be the best that they can be by studying at the University of the West Indies and then not have opportunities for them to remain in the land of their birth, simply because we do not have the opportunities for them to work.

“The Best-dos Santos Lab immediately presented an opportunity for us to create employment for dozens of persons who have contributed to their own development by making the effort of studying and providing themselves with the skills, only then to be topped up by the international partnerships that we have.”

Prime Minister Mottley added: “We have to continue to see this as an area not just of social stability that is necessary for public health excellence, but also as an investment opportunity so that regulation can become part and parcel of Barbados’ competitive advantage over other countries in the region and the hemisphere.” (SM)