Dominicana_1965
28th March 2008, 06:47
CARACAS.— Dr. Katia Robledo never suspected that she would extend her memories as an internationalist collaborator with such unique experiences as those of which she has been part in the ophthalmology clinic in the Caracas neighborhood of Pinto Salinas.
"We have heard stories that have made us cry," she said as she recalled a conversation with an elderly woman suffering from cataracts in both eyes who at first resisted traveling to Cuba for surgery fearing that she might be required to "cut cane," but whom later, after her operation, wanted to return to beg forgiveness for her confusion and to thank Fidel.
"Also in Pinto Salinas, I saw an elderly man cry when he first saw his grandchildren after years of blindness," recalls Dr. Katia, founder of Mission Miracle in Venezuela and currently director of the ophthalmology clinic that just this past October completed its first year in operation and has already provided some 20,000 surgeries.
As Cuban medicine celebrates the first one million operations performed by specialists in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is worth noting that almost half of these have been on Venezuelan patients, a figure which speaks for itself as to the value of the project within this country.
HISTORY OF THE MIRACLE
The image of the first contingent of Venezuelans walking, still in a penumbra, through the José Martí Airport, July 8, 2004 reminds us of the beginnings of Operation Miracle, an initiative designed and inspired by Fidel, which within a short time extended its impact across our continent. In addition to Cuba and Venezuela, the mission has benefited the people of Bolivia, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, San Vicente and the Grenadines, Guyana, Paraguay, Grenada, Nicaragua and Uruguay.
During the first half of that first year, 18,800 Venezuelans were treated in Cuba, a figure which increased notably in 2005, reaching 156,604, the majority involving cases of pterygium and cataracts.
By October of that year the clinic in Barquisimeto had been established in the state of Lara, Mission Miracle pioneer in Venezuelan territory, and shortly thereafter similar facilities began to appear in other geographical regions of the country, all staffed by specially trained Cuban personnel.
Today, 17 clinics with a total of 31 operating rooms function within several states of the country, three of these being mobile units, which have contributed measurably to expanding capacity and reducing costs given that patients are much closer to their homes.
Cuban directors of Mission Miracle have confirmed that during 2007, no complications were reported, a clear indication of the high quality of the services provided, which are becoming everyday more trustworthy and accessible to Venezuelans, especially those with the least resources.
"As important as performing surgery is reaching patients, finding them," explains Dr. Marisol Noa, who praised the role played by Cuban doctors in the Venezuelan "Barrio Adentro" grassroots medical effort and the support of more than 500 resident ophthalmology students "who did their time in the operating room, but also on neighborhood surveys."
THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE OUR STATISTICS
"At first they didn’t even believe our statistics, explained Dr. Raysa Hernández, of the Venezuelan coordinating team, "They couldn’t understand how in just one month’s time Cuban ophthalmologists were able to perform a total of 6,000-7,000 operations, but with time, people have become aware of the scope of this program."
In agreement is Fidel Raúl Ricardo, an ophthalmologist from Holguín, also a founding member of Mission Miracle in Venezuela, who has performed more than 10,000 operations in under two years, in what he considers a baptism by fire.
How did you get started with the mission?
"At the beginning we were 50 ophthalmologists supporting neighborhood optical clinics and we worked on the surveys identifying patients to be sent to Cuba. When the clinic was opened in Lara, I was one of the first and in February of 2006, I trained in scleral tunnel incision technique for cataracts at the Pando Ferrer Hospital in Havana. I’ve been in Caracas since last March.
What does cataract surgery cost outside of Mission Miracle?
Up to 5,000 bolivares fuertes, an impossible amount for a person from the hills, but also, given the advantages of the outpatient clinic, someone can undergo surgery one day and is ready to go back to work the next day."
Doesn’t this routine get boring?
Routine? This pace has allowed me to develop incredible abilities, in Cuba I would have never been able to operate on so many people in such a short time. I would have had to work for 20 or 30 years. Here we grow professionally, but above all as human beings."
http://granma.cu/ingles/2008/marzo/juev27/13milagro-i.html
"We have heard stories that have made us cry," she said as she recalled a conversation with an elderly woman suffering from cataracts in both eyes who at first resisted traveling to Cuba for surgery fearing that she might be required to "cut cane," but whom later, after her operation, wanted to return to beg forgiveness for her confusion and to thank Fidel.
"Also in Pinto Salinas, I saw an elderly man cry when he first saw his grandchildren after years of blindness," recalls Dr. Katia, founder of Mission Miracle in Venezuela and currently director of the ophthalmology clinic that just this past October completed its first year in operation and has already provided some 20,000 surgeries.
As Cuban medicine celebrates the first one million operations performed by specialists in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is worth noting that almost half of these have been on Venezuelan patients, a figure which speaks for itself as to the value of the project within this country.
HISTORY OF THE MIRACLE
The image of the first contingent of Venezuelans walking, still in a penumbra, through the José Martí Airport, July 8, 2004 reminds us of the beginnings of Operation Miracle, an initiative designed and inspired by Fidel, which within a short time extended its impact across our continent. In addition to Cuba and Venezuela, the mission has benefited the people of Bolivia, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, San Vicente and the Grenadines, Guyana, Paraguay, Grenada, Nicaragua and Uruguay.
During the first half of that first year, 18,800 Venezuelans were treated in Cuba, a figure which increased notably in 2005, reaching 156,604, the majority involving cases of pterygium and cataracts.
By October of that year the clinic in Barquisimeto had been established in the state of Lara, Mission Miracle pioneer in Venezuelan territory, and shortly thereafter similar facilities began to appear in other geographical regions of the country, all staffed by specially trained Cuban personnel.
Today, 17 clinics with a total of 31 operating rooms function within several states of the country, three of these being mobile units, which have contributed measurably to expanding capacity and reducing costs given that patients are much closer to their homes.
Cuban directors of Mission Miracle have confirmed that during 2007, no complications were reported, a clear indication of the high quality of the services provided, which are becoming everyday more trustworthy and accessible to Venezuelans, especially those with the least resources.
"As important as performing surgery is reaching patients, finding them," explains Dr. Marisol Noa, who praised the role played by Cuban doctors in the Venezuelan "Barrio Adentro" grassroots medical effort and the support of more than 500 resident ophthalmology students "who did their time in the operating room, but also on neighborhood surveys."
THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE OUR STATISTICS
"At first they didn’t even believe our statistics, explained Dr. Raysa Hernández, of the Venezuelan coordinating team, "They couldn’t understand how in just one month’s time Cuban ophthalmologists were able to perform a total of 6,000-7,000 operations, but with time, people have become aware of the scope of this program."
In agreement is Fidel Raúl Ricardo, an ophthalmologist from Holguín, also a founding member of Mission Miracle in Venezuela, who has performed more than 10,000 operations in under two years, in what he considers a baptism by fire.
How did you get started with the mission?
"At the beginning we were 50 ophthalmologists supporting neighborhood optical clinics and we worked on the surveys identifying patients to be sent to Cuba. When the clinic was opened in Lara, I was one of the first and in February of 2006, I trained in scleral tunnel incision technique for cataracts at the Pando Ferrer Hospital in Havana. I’ve been in Caracas since last March.
What does cataract surgery cost outside of Mission Miracle?
Up to 5,000 bolivares fuertes, an impossible amount for a person from the hills, but also, given the advantages of the outpatient clinic, someone can undergo surgery one day and is ready to go back to work the next day."
Doesn’t this routine get boring?
Routine? This pace has allowed me to develop incredible abilities, in Cuba I would have never been able to operate on so many people in such a short time. I would have had to work for 20 or 30 years. Here we grow professionally, but above all as human beings."
http://granma.cu/ingles/2008/marzo/juev27/13milagro-i.html