Barbados is moving to build its own pharmaceutical industry, a shift Minister of Technological and Vocational Training Sandra Husbands said could reduce reliance on imports, expand research for Caribbean populations, and create new high-skilled jobs.
As the House of Assembly took up the Barbados Medical Products Bill for its second reading, Husbands said the initiative marks a significant step towards decolonising the Caribbean psyche and dismantling longstanding complexes of economic and intellectual inferiority.
She argued that centuries of colonial rule had left an enduring psychological legacy that often leads citizens to undervalue their own capabilities, intelligence, and the rich natural resources around them.
She said: “The development of this Barbados pharmaceutical bill is an expression that Barbadians are breaking out from those inferiority complexes, are beginning to understand that they have value and worth, and that yes they can step up to the plate and do something bold, do something different that previous generations have never done.
“To chart your own destiny, you have to believe in yourself, you have to value yourself, and you have to value what is around you.”
This lack of confidence had historically translated into heavy economic dependence on external powers, with locals more inclined to rely on imported goods than to explore the medicinal benefits of native flora such as bay leaf, wonder world, and clammy cherry.
By establishing a domestic pharmaceutical framework, Barbados would be better placed to lead its own medical research rather than waiting on foreign nations to address regional healthcare needs, the St James South MP suggested.
A key driver behind the legislation is the need for medical research tailored to people of African and Latin American descent, Husbands declared. Most global medications are developed by Western countries and are not designed with African biology in mind, despite genetic differences that influence how groups respond to treatment, she added.
“The absolute need for research for better health for our people is an important part of what we have to do, but we cannot sit and wait as we have done over many, many centuries, waiting for somebody else to do it for us, waiting for the colonial powers to recognise that we have a need.
“What we are doing is getting up and taking charge of our own destiny and taking responsibility for our own future and doing this groundwork here to be able to ensure that we start this pharmaceutical industry and support it with the research that is going to be necessary.”
Husbands also touted the economic implications of the bill, recalling her frustration during her tenure as foreign trade minister, during which she saw millions of dollars spent each year importing medicaments from Latin America and elsewhere — products she believed Barbados had the capacity to produce.
The government is promoting the bill as an opportunity to unlock the potential of a pharmaceutical industry to diversify the economy, strengthen resilience to external shocks, and reduce pressure on foreign exchange.
It is also being promoted as a way to help slow the region’s brain drain by creating well-paid, specialised opportunities for science and agriculture graduates who might otherwise migrate to Canada and elsewhere.
The start-up is expected to involve several ministries, linking the proposed University College of Barbados, the Hope Agricultural Training Institute, and Duke University in the US to assess workforce skills, patent protection, and digital training needs.
“My team was absolutely excited,” Husbands said, adding that the initiative would provide highly educated young Barbadians with “opportunities for interesting, good paying jobs that they can get excited about and become a part of this pharmaceutical industry”.
Husbands also called for the creation of a specialised training academy to ensure young people are equipped to help build the industry. With proper funding to protect intellectual property and manage patents, she said, “Barbados has a very, very bright future”.
(RR)
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