CHANGE APPROACH

Dr. DaSilva: Address crime as a public health issue

THE rising incidence of crime and violence in this country has to be viewed and tackled at the forefront not just as a criminal problem, but to some extent as a public health issue.

That’s according to local medical practitioner, Dr. P. Abdon DaSilva. He made the point in a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate during which he was asked to weigh in on the incident that occurred at the Spring Garden Highway during the climax of the Crop Over Festival that left around 20 persons nursing injuries and one dead.

Dr. DaSilva maintained that the crime situation in Barbados has been unveiling for some time, but has been given more significance particularly because of the time of that incident and the “terrorist-like fashion” in which it occurred. As such, he is adamant that rather than looking to address the problem from a public safety standpoint, it is imperative that the authorities approach it as the public health issue that it is and not allow it to get further out of control.

“We are seeing more death and injury to persons as a result of crime and violence. The impact such incidents are having on the resources at the QEH is significant, but we cannot separate that from the impact on the victims, their relatives and society as a whole, which is now going to be living on edge; so it becomes a public health issue. I don’t know what the Ministry of Health intends to do or not do about it, but they must recognise that it is a public health issue and act,” he said.

Dr. DaSilva added that the violence being exhibited is also putting a strain on the financial resources of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and also affects other functions within that facility. He noted that where a lot of victims of violence are brought to the medical facility, be it the result of gunshots or stab wounds, they are going to have to be treated as a priority, pushing other cases aside.

To that end, he is adamant that a whole-of-society approach is needed to tackle the growing problem of violence in this country. The doctor maintains that in light of last Monday’s incident, the relevant authorities and leaders in society are going to have to determine how they will treat to it other than from a criminal or judicial perspective. He said that in addition to the law enforcement officers investigating these crimes, working to determine the origins of guns in this country and preventing them from coming in, there is also a role for the Ministry of Education to play.

“Are we in Barbados training children from an early age for them to develop good social emotional skills? If we are not, do we intend to? If we are doing it, do we need to improve it? It has been shown without a doubt that when you teach children good emotional social skills that they have fewer problems – they are better educated, have access to better employment, have fewer problems with substance abuse and antisocial behaviour, and there is less involvement in criminal activity,” he indicated.

Dr. DaSilva added, “We cannot lose sight of the fact that school is where children spend the most time outside of their homes. Clearly it is not being done in some homes, so the educational system now has to take a more active role. Violence begins early in one’s life-cycle and wherever and whenever it starts that is when it needs to be addressed.”

The medical practitioner’s comments came as he contended that the Church too has to step up to the plate. He said with fewer persons going to Church, the clergy has to devise ways that they can better reach out to persons. (JRT)

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