Ministry of Health

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Minister of Health, Horace Dalley

Minister of Health, Horace Dalley has said that the government intended to continue with the Jamaica/Cuba/Venezuela Eye Care Project, 'Operation Milagro'.

He said that the recent delegation to Cuba, which comprised himself, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Barry Wint, a local ophthalmologist and other medical practitioners, had agreed that the facilities in which Jamaican patients received surgery were in excellent condition, and were equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Mr. Dalley was responding to questions raised by Opposition Spokesman on Health, Dr. Kenneth Baugh at yesterday's (June 27) sitting of the House, concerning the programme and complications, which19 participants in the programme suffered following surgery.

The Health Minister made it clear that the Cuban doctors, who were working in ophthalmology centres across the island, were duly registered with the Medical Council of Jamaica and did not conduct operations, but instead carried out pre-screenings.
On Dr. Baugh's suggestion that patients, who had reported complications, should be reviewed by local ophthalmologists, Mr. Dalley informed that post-operative examinations would be done in the island by local and Cuban doctors.

He noted further, that following his visit to Cuba, a decision had in fact been taken to effect some changes to the programme, which would involve Jamaican and Cuban doctors working together. He emphasised that every candidate would be screened locally by Jamaican and Cuban ophthalmologists, before going to Cuba.

Mr. Dalley said that contrary to reports, no attempt had been made to discontinue the screening centre at the Kingston Public Hospital and that, "no decision was taken to exclude the Chief Ophthalmologist, Dr. Albert Lue, from the programme".

He pointed out that what had in fact occurred was that an additional screening facility had been established at the Jamaica Society for the Blind.
The Health Minister further informed that there were plans to establish a major state-of-the-art ophthalmology centre in the island that would be staffed by Jamaican and Cuban ophthalmologists, as well as other ophthalmologists from around the world. He said the centre would also train ophthalmologists from other Caribbean countries.

Mr. Dalley stressed that the government and people of Jamaica were grateful for the Cuba/Venezuela partnership, as local ophthalmologists would not be able to cover all the cases that now existed in the island.

Operation Milgaro is based on an agreement between the Governments of Jamaica/Cuba and Venezuela and is a replica of similar arrangements made with other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Implementation of the programme began in September 1, 2005, with the overall objective being to provide surgical eye care services to the people of Jamaica, particularly the poor and vulnerable. The four basic conditions targeted by the project are cataract; pterygium (flesh growing across the surface of the eye towards the cornea); strabismus ('cross-eye'); and ptosis (drooping eyelid).

As of June 10, 2006, a total of 2,336 Jamaican patients received some 2,700 surgical interventions, with more than 10,000 persons screened island wide. Cataract, with more than 500 cases, was the single most frequent condition treated.

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