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Contact:
Chris Satney
Wednesday, September 07, 2005 - The majority of Saint Lucian patients now
in Cuba for eye surgeries under the Cuban Eye Care programme are said to have
received their treatment. Word of this has come from Saint Lucian officials
monitoring the ‘Miracle Plan Project’ in Havana.
Head of Mission of Saint Lucia’s Embassy in Cuba Mr. Peter Lansiquot says
despite language and cultural barriers, the patients are extremely cheerful. He
says the experience will serve well in handling future groups under the
programme.
“There have been a few delays because the Cuban doctors in many instances needed
to check out other medical conditions before they could actually perform the
surgical interventions to the eyes. This is particularly the case with people
with diabetic and hypertensive conditions,” Mr. Lansiquot said.
The 140 Saint Lucian eye patients are in the company of Parliamentary Secretary
in the Ministry of Health Honourable John Odlum and Ms. Eve Felicien, a young
St. Lucian doctor. Mr Odlum says he is very pleased with the way the programme
has progressed, but says the experience has been quite challenging.
“We’ve been having meetings with them daily. They are in two different hospitals
and we travel to both of them daily and have discussions with the— find out how
they’re feeling, what they’re missing and what have you—And I must report, it
has been very cordial to date. I spoke to my Ministry not to long off over the
weekend and advised them, that I need help with about two students to come up
and help with translation and treatment of the people,” Mr. Odlum said.
Some of the eye patients now in Cuba may have to return to the Spanish speaking
Caribbean nation for more treatment because of complications with their present
conditions. When this group returns to St. Lucia, another batch of patients will
be flown to Cuba for more eye surgeries.
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