SEVERAL JAMAICANS who were among the first to benefit from free eye surgery and other optical treatment in Cuba return to the island today.
The programme, dubbed 'Miracle Operation', aims to improve eye treatment in Latin America and the Caribbean. The treatment was courtesy of an agreement brokered between the governments of Cuba and Venezuela.
Ministry of Health spokes-person, Beverley Josephs, also reported that another 30 persons, who were selected under the programme, are expected to leave the island today to get similar care.
A statement from the Cuban Embassy said the initial group, comprising 23 beneficiaries, will arrive at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston at 10:00 am. They left the island last week.
On August 24, the Jamaica Information Service reported that effective September, Jamaicans who suffer from severe eye problems would be able to access treatment in Cuba or Venezuela free of cost under the Cuba/Venezuela 'Sandino Commitment'.
At a press briefing on August 24, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that the initiative was part of a larger thrust which aims to offer free health care to six million inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean over the next 20 years. The Sandino Commitment was reached during President Chavez's visit to Cuba in August.
