{"id":3745,"date":"2004-08-16T23:34:57","date_gmt":"2004-08-16T23:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2021-02-16T23:35:31","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T23:35:31","slug":"cubas-operation-miracle-celebrated-throughout-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cubas-operation-miracle-celebrated-throughout-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba\u2019s \u201cOperation Miracle\u201d celebrated throughout Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0BY\u00a0W. T. WHITNEY JR.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All over Cuba these days there are celebrations of the tenth anniversary of \u201cOperation Miracle.\u201d The U.S. public knows almost nothing about this internationalized project involving the restoration of vision for enormous numbers of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set in motion on July 8, 2004, Operation Miracle took shape within the context of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America \u2013 otherwise known as ALBA \u2013 which Cuba and Venezuela established that year also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latin American and Caribbean nations joining ALBA engage in mutually beneficial trade-offs, or so-called solidarity exchanges, of educational and medical services, scientific projects, even commodities. ALBA exemplifies the role of Cuba and Venezuela in spearheading regional integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Operation Miracle, Cubans and Venezuelans alike have benefited from surgical eye care<\/a>. Tens of thousands of foreign nationals have traveled to Cuba for ophthalmology care. And Cuban ophthalmologists serving in Venezuela took the lead in establishing 26 eye care centers there. Staffed by eye surgeons, nurses, technicians, and other physicians, centers cropped up throughout Venezuela. They serve Venezuelans but also vision-impaired people from 17 Latin American countries plus Italy, Portugal, and Puerto Rico. Then Operation Miracle organizers established centers in 14 Latin American and Caribbean nations. Ten years after its start the program operates in 31 countries, some in Africa and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program serves people denied eye care because of poverty and\/or geographic inaccessibility. By far the most common cause of reduced vision the teams deal with is cataract. They also provide treatment for glaucoma, strabismus, retina problems, and abnormal growths. Corrective lenses are provided. These far-flung ophthalmology services are available for patients at no personal cost. So too are the transportation and accommodations they utilize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to one report, Operation Miracle has improved or restored vision for 3.4 million individuals<\/a>. That measure of the project\u2019s effectiveness takes on additional meaning through World Health Organization<\/a> data showing that 39 million people in the world are blind<\/a>. These figures are actually within reach of one another, especially because most visual impairment \u2013 80 percent \u2013 is preventable or curable. It seems that two formerly colonized, dependent nations have taken giant steps toward addressing a major cause of human disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet this story of human betterment plays out well beyond the range of inquiry and understanding of the great majority of U.S. residents. Maybe for minders of official orthodoxy this remarkable saga poses the threat of a good example. Historian Aviva Chomsky suggested that was the case in 2000 in regard to other Cuban health care achievements.<\/a> Writing recently for Cuba\u2019s La Pupila Insomne<\/a> web site, journalist Jose Manzaneda laments that international media are ignoring this \u201cspectacular news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manzaneda focuses particularly on the Spanish El Pais newspaper as a purveyor of anti-Cuban bias. For example, in his recent report on international assistance to Haiti, El Pais writer Mauricio Vicent failed to credit Cuba for trying to fill Haiti\u2019s prominent health-care vacuum<\/a>. Without mentioning Cuba, he contrasts Haiti\u2019s low indices of human development unfavorably with those of the Dominican Republic, a country with an infant mortality rate five time higher than Cuba\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manzaneda points out that, in fact, 11,000 Cuban health workers, mostly physicians, have served in Haiti for more than 16 years; 700 of them are there now. They have cared for 20 million patients, performed 373,000 surgical operations, and delivered 150,000 babies. Over 1,300 Haitian young people, recipients of Cuban government scholarships, have graduated from Cuban universities Currently 322 Haitians are studying medicine in Cuba. Manzaneda refers to triangular South-South cooperation evident in Brazil\u2019s funding of three new medical centers staffed by Cuban doctors, also in Cuban-Venezuelan collaboration in remodeling or building 30 community hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2008 letter explaining his decision no longer to serve as Cuba\u2019s president, Fidel Castro stated that, \u201cMy only wish is to fight as a soldier in the battle of ideas.\u201d Indeed, medical outreach to Haiti, Operation Miracle, and ALBA itself are ideas Cuba has advanced in its struggle. Additionally, there is the idea attributed to Cuban national hero Jose Marti that \u201cPatria es Humanidad\u201d \u2013 in English, homeland is humanity. Surely, as demonstrated by these down -to- earth, people \u2013 centered instances of international solidarity, Cuba\u2019s revolution remains true to its roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 21, 2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Peoples World<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0BY\u00a0W. T. WHITNEY JR. All over Cuba these days there are celebrations of the tenth anniversary of \u201cOperation Miracle.\u201d The U.S. public knows almost nothing […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101011,"featured_media":3746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cuba"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4100,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuba-one-step-away-from-achieving-the-first-latin-american-vaccine-against-covid-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":3745,"position":0},"title":"Cuba, one step away from achieving the first Latin American vaccine against Covid-19","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0Mauricio Vicent They are called Soberana 02 and Abdala, and they are the two Cuban vaccine candidates against covid-19 that have gone the furthest in their development. Both are in phase 3 \u2014 the last before approval \u2014 of clinical trials. If everything goes as Cuban scientists hope, before the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cuba"","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/vaccine.jpeg?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/vaccine.jpeg?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/vaccine.jpeg?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/vaccine.jpeg?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4856,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/fake-social-media-operation-from-abroad-catalyzed-cuba-incident\/","url_meta":{"origin":3745,"position":1},"title":"Fake Social Media Operation from Abroad Catalyzed Cuba Incident","author":"Editorial Team","date":"July 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The renowned Spanish analyst Juli\u00e1n Mac\u00edas Tovar has broken down the intense campaign extended across social media networks against the Cuban Revolution in the last few days. It was launched from outside of Cuba and one of its directors was the Argentinean Agus Antonelli, a right-wing political operator who has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Road-sign.png?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Road-sign.png?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Road-sign.png?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2530,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/washington-threatens-countries-for-receiving-medical-aid-from-cuba\/","url_meta":{"origin":3745,"position":2},"title":"Washington threatens countries for receiving medical aid from Cuba","author":"Editorial Team","date":"August 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuban humanitarianism deserves admiration and respect, not sanctions and smears, writes KEN LIVINGSTONE One of the most astonishing expressions of reactionary \u201cTrumpite\u201d politics during the global coronavirus crisis took place recently when three hard-right Republican senators \u2014 Ted Cruz, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio \u2014 introduced a Bill which calls\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/turks-and-caicos.jpeg?fit=780%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/turks-and-caicos.jpeg?fit=780%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/turks-and-caicos.jpeg?fit=780%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/turks-and-caicos.jpeg?fit=780%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6123,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/a-glance-at-the-cuban-missile-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":3745,"position":3},"title":"A Glance at the Cuban Missile Crisis","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation\u2019s (NATO) plans for expansion plays out on Russia\u2019s borders, the question of sovereignty and defense could be recalled through the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Cuba\u2019s request for USSR protection from U.S. imperialist interventions was not unfounded. Only the year before, in April\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban_missile_crisis_16.jpeg?fit=1200%2C863&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban_missile_crisis_16.jpeg?fit=1200%2C863&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban_missile_crisis_16.jpeg?fit=1200%2C863&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban_missile_crisis_16.jpeg?fit=1200%2C863&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban_missile_crisis_16.jpeg?fit=1200%2C863&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4827,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-events-in-cuba-put-it-them-in-to-context\/","url_meta":{"origin":3745,"position":4},"title":"The events in Cuba put it them in to context","author":"Editorial Team","date":"July 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"After the events of recent days in Cuba, let put a few things into context. After a few news and tendencies in social media about the government of Biden was in the process\u00a0 of analysing the policy towards Cuba, suddenly there were protest in different cities in Cuba, this was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cyber-Coup-Cuba.jpeg?fit=980%2C552&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cyber-Coup-Cuba.jpeg?fit=980%2C552&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cyber-Coup-Cuba.jpeg?fit=980%2C552&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cyber-Coup-Cuba.jpeg?fit=980%2C552&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2280,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuba-operation-northwoods-the-forgotten-insanity\/","url_meta":{"origin":3745,"position":5},"title":"CUBA: OPERATION NORTHWOODS, THE FORGOTTEN INSANITY","author":"Editorial Team","date":"July 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Did You Know That the US Once Planned to Attack Itself -- and Blame Castro? As we watched President Obama being warmly welcomed in Cuba, we think back to the secret, shameful things done in the past by the US to undermine Castro, not counting the various assassination attempts. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Edward-Lansdale.jpg?fit=700%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Edward-Lansdale.jpg?fit=700%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Edward-Lansdale.jpg?fit=700%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Edward-Lansdale.jpg?fit=700%2C470&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xdTY-Yp","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/OperacionMilagro500x333.jpg?fit=500%2C333&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101011"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}