March 27, 2006
Operation Milagro extends benefits

(National News Agency Cuba -AIN) - "More and more patients are requesting the benefits offered by the Operation Milagro eye-surgery program. This is an initiative undertaken by Cuba and Venezuela which aims to restore the sight to some 6 million low-income Latin Americans in a period of 10 years.

The first 79 Peruvian patients who will undergo eye surgery in Venezuela as part of the Operation Milagro project arrived on Sunday in Caracas, the capital.

Last week, another 80 patients affected by curable eye diseases arrived in Venezuela from Guatemala to benefit from the project, report Prensa Latina news agency.

The embassy of Venezuela in Guatemala was in charge of the transfer of these patients, most of them of Mayan origin.

Likewise, 27 Colombians, out of 52 operated on in Venezuela, have already returned to their homeland. Meanwhile, Nicaragua has announced the sending of the first 100 patients and some 1.000 Ecuadorians are being evaluated by doctors to undergo the free-of-charge eye surgery in Venezuela.

Thanks to the Operation Milagro, 655 Panamanians have already recovered their sight.

According to a communiqué released by the Venezuelan embassy in Costa Rica, some 270 patients from this Central American country accepted the benefits of this project - 120 of them will travel to Venezuela in early April".