In July, 2004 Mission Milagro begins in Cuba, a project created to prevent blindness due to pathologies causing them, among which the cataract is the most frequent. With this noble mission, name suggested by Fidel, light started to irradiate through the surgeries initiated in the Island, just in front of the eyes of many people from many countries, who due to lacking of economic resources already had lost the illusion of seeing again.”
The pioneer institution in our country, at the time of beginning to materialize this dream was Hospital Pando Ferrer, located in Marianao, which was the first to assume the surgical rehabilitation of people suffering from cataract, Pterygium (fleshiness in the eyes), drooping eyelids, retina affections, strabismus, cornea problems and glaucoma, among the most treated illnesses
The hospital also becomes the principal methodological center of Mission Milagro, since here doctors and infirmary personnel, who participate in it, inside and outside the country, are trained
Parallel to the Mission, the human resources in ophthalmology has grown in Cuba, with a higher result in investigations and scientific quality, quality in the services, personnel with higher human values and growing internationalist solidarity.
The young personnel of this specialty should be distinguished for the results and tasks coming from the mission; among others, the active investigation in Cuba and in brother countries, the social work, and the proper figures of surgeries achieved with the intervention of new batches of specialists.
Mission Milagro: Door of light for humble people
Mission Milagro by initiative of Cuba, supported by Venezuela, is of a high social and humanitarian content, and makes no distinction among patients. Through it, surgeries are free for those who need them; giving vision back or rehabilitating of different ophthalmological ailments to patients of poor countries; which demonstrates how much is possible to do, if solidary concepts are applied among countries, with political will of the governments, instead of applying selfish and consumerist models.
Since July 10, 2004, when the first 50 surgeries were done, Cuba encouraged this project to preserve and give back the vision to more than six millions Latin-American and Caribbean sick persons, without any economical resources. Among the first are Panama, Honduras, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Among the Caribbean countries: Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Guyana, Jamaica, Bahamas and Haiti.
Chavez and Fidel’s dream, the Mission Milagro, that marvelous event that gives back light to darkness of millions of humble people in the planet, with the loss of vision, blind or with poor visual health, because of underdevelopment, poverty and the inhuman ferocity of capitalism, has turned into a humanitarian deed, difficult to equal, and continues to grow because of solidarity and love.
Translator: Reinaldo Fernàndez
