Havana, June 21, 2006. (RHC-Granma)--Jamaican Health Minister Horace Dalley paid an official visit to Cuba June 15-18, accompanied by a delegation of prestigious doctors and including an ophthalmologist from Kingston Public Hospital.
The Jamaicans visited the south-central Cienfuegos Province where they were welcomed by the president of the Provincial People's Power Assembly, Rolando Diaz Gonzalez.
The guests visited the "Felix Eden" Latin American School in Aguada, and toured the facilities of the local polyclinic. They also visited the University Hospital in Cienfuegos, where Jamaicans benefited from Operacion Milagro (Cuban-sponsored eye care program, known in the English speaking Caribbean as Vision Now) are being operated on, and they were briefed there by the Province's Public Health director, Salvador Tamayo Martinez.
In the Pasacaballo Hospital the visitors toured the ophthalmology area and met with Jamaican patients who expressed their appreciation for the attention they are receiving from the Cuban medical personnel and social workers.
Health Minister Dalley voiced his satisfaction with the excellent conditions being provided by the eye care program and he praised the top notch equipment and technology used including that available in pre and post surgery wards.
The Cienfuegos visit also included a tour of the Faculty of Medicine at the local university, where they exchanged words with the dean and Jamaican students currently majoring in that institution.
Minister Dalley also visited the "Pando Ferrer" Ophthalmologic Hospital in Havana, where he was met by its director and staff. He was briefed on the different surgical producers performed in that center. Special attention was given to the case of 16-year-old Jamaican Lennisa Woolcock who had a tumor removed from one eye. The Minister expressed his appreciation for the successful operation performed by a team of highly qualified doctors.
The Jamaican delegation also toured the "Hermanos Ameijeiras," Havana's top Hospital, and the Hemingway Marina Health facilities, where they met Jamaican patients, mainly children.
Cuba's Minister of Health,Jose Ramón Balaguer, held talks with his Jamaican counterpart, and they identified areas of healthcare where bilateral cooperation can be strengthened.
Before returning to Kingston, Dalley reiterated his satisfaction for a successful visit and voiced his commitment to Operacion Milagro. He also confirmed the Jamaican government's desire to boost relations in Medicine and Healthcare with Cuba.