Thousands of Panamanians Benefit from Cuban Eye Surgery Program

More than 15,000 Panamanians have recovered their sight thanks to the Operation Miracle free eye-surgery program carried out by Cuba and Venezuela to help low-income people from Latin America and the Caribbean.


During a meeting with reporters in Havana, the new Panamanian ambassador
in Cuba, Luis Gomez, announced that the first 5,000 Panamanian patients were treated on the island and the others in Panama.

He stressed that, thanks to the Cuban assistance, Panama now has a modern ophthalmological center where more than 10,000 people have been operated upon and where some 70 patients are treated every day.

The diplomat recalled that, at the beginning, the work was done only by Cuban doctors but he said that now there are Panamanian doctors who were train to perform surgeries as well.

Gomez added that nearly 300,000 Panamanians will also benefit from the Cuban literacy program ¨Yo si puedo¨ (Yes, I Can). He said that almost 20% of them, mainly living in indigenous areas, have already learned to read and write.

The Panamanian ambassador noted that other cooperation accords between
Cuba and his country include the sale of construction materials, mainly
cement and steel, and also the presence in Panama of Cuban sports
trainers.

He also pointed out that more than 1,000 Panamanian youths are currently studying at the Havana-based Latin American School of Medicine and said that bilateral trade has reached the figure of $500 million per year.

Finally, he said that bilateral relations are excellent and that they will continue to strengthen friendship and cooperation ties.