One in three public health dollars to fight disease-carrying pests

The government spent $5 million in public health for the 2024-2025 financial year, with a third of the budget—$1.6 million—earmarked to combat mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and Zika, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health Davidson Ishmael announced in Parliament on Tuesday.

 

During debate on a resolution on the Report of the Joint Select Committee on Social Sector and the Environment on the Health Services (Amendment) Bill, the minister stressed what he considered the critical importance of safeguarding the island’s public health.

 

“This government is spending $5 million on public health,” Ishmael said. “Of that, over $1.6 million has been earmarked specifically for vector control . . . for baiting, fogging, and other essential activities to reduce the threats posed by pests like mosquitoes and rats.”

 

He pointed to the growing strain of public health costs, noting that it is projected that more funds will be needed in the new financial year.

 

“Our spending reflects how serious the issue is. Mosquitoes don’t just bite; they spread deadly diseases like dengue fever and Zika, and we must protect Barbadians from these threats,” Ishmael said.

 

While acknowledging the necessity of vector control, Ishmael argued that the measures not only come at a high financial cost but also greatly impact the environment.

 

“As we increase our use of pesticides and insecticides, there’s a knock-on of deleterious effects and impact on the insects that we don’t want to harm, whether that be bees. . . . It negatively affects our biodiversity,” he said.

 

Ishmael further lamented that funds spent on fogging and pest control could be better used elsewhere.

 

“That $1.6 million can be better placed in the hands of our young entrepreneurs in the trust funds to enable some young man or some young woman with a business idea to grow their business,” he said. “But we are spending $5 million, and projected even in this new fiscal year to spend more because it is that serious of a matter.”

 

Ishmael stressed that the solution lies in tackling the root causes of vector proliferation, such as overgrown plots and derelict properties.

 

He warned that failing to address these issues would only exacerbate public health risks and increase the financial burden on the government.

 

In an effort to eradicate potential breeding sites and lessen the rising cost of these measures, the minister called on citizens to take greater responsibility for their properties, stressing that public health is a shared responsibility.

 

“I encourage the people of Barbados, if you know you have a property that is just lying there wasting away, get some capital, invest in the upkeep of the space, build it back to what it should be,” he said. “And if you don’t want to live in it personally, get some rental income from it. Give it to somebody else and make some money off it on a monthly basis.”

 

Concluding with a quote from the late Prime Minister Owen Arthur: “He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything,” the minister encouraged Barbadians to take this wisdom to heart, urging everyone to play their part in creating a cleaner and healthier nation.

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb