Editorial | Research needs funds

Jamaicans can be forgiven for harking back to days of yore when research was booming as a result of deliberate investment in knowledge aimed at identifying new products and improving existing ones.

Back then, Thomas P. Lecky introduced new breeds of cattle and his techniques formed the basis for breeding experiments worldwide. Then there was Ren Gonsalves, whose 15 years of research culminated in the development of new varieties of disease-resistant bananas. Several other scientists have engaged in research projects resulting in medicinal, agricultural and culinary discoveries that have aided Jamaica’s growth and are remembered as the bedrock of its development.

It was interesting, therefore, to hear Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton calling for more “cutting edge” research by medical scientists that would encourage behavioural change in the lifestyle of Jamaicans.

He was addressing a conference on combating non-communicable diseases in Kingston when he suggested that combining behavioural science with clinical science would be a new approach to the non-communicable disease crisis facing the country.

The minister would do well to quickly release the $50 million that the Government has earmarked for wellness research. He told the conference that the global pandemic had put a dent in disbursement plans, but he was hoping to put together the funds as soon as possible.

DIFFERENCE

Therein lies the difference between First-World countries and developing countries, like ours. Resource-rich First-World countries consistently invest in research and development to find solutions for a range of social and economic problems. However, poor countries like Jamaica have fallen way behind because they do not have the resources to invest for the protracted period that research inevitably demands.

Does this mean the Third World will forever be weighed down by social challenges? Not so, if we cast our gaze on countries like Israel and South Korea which have demonstrated how research that yields new knowledge can boost an economy.

South Korea was as poor as any other Third-World country back in the 1960s, and it was able to transform itself into a trillion-dollar economy by 2004. It achieved this growth by dedicating four per cent of its GDP annually to research.

Israel, on the other hand, showed the world how a country with mostly arid land could emerge as an agricultural giant by becoming the largest exporter of a variety of agricultural products. Again because of commitment to research.

With the fierce competition that globalisation has created, it appears obvious that countries unable to apply scientific research, in order to create new services, new skills and new products, cannot hope to develop and offer their people a better way of life.

SEVERELY AFFECTED

Without research-based knowledge informing attitudes and treatment, we will continue to be severely affected by the vagaries of weather, and debilitating diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. We will be unable to eliminate some of the efficiencies that hamper business and productivity or address a wide range of socio-economic problems.

Some persons may not readily see the link between research findings and outputs, and this may prompt governments burdened by other pressing demands to ignore research, especially as results could take many years.

Jamaica has no shortage of creative minds and scientific research brilliance. We have the example of Dr Lawrence Williams whose breakthrough research has identified the benefits of guinea hen weed in cancer treatment. Recently, a group of doctors and dentists from The University of the West Indies, the undisputed centre of research in the region, joined international colleagues in identifying menthol crystals as an ingredient that is capable of blocking the virus that causes COVID-19.

Our scientists need funds more than the Government is willing or able to provide. They need to be motivated and encouraged in their work.

The country’s long-term vision must be one that recognises the benefit of science as a driver of development.