Left I on the News

Cuba calls it Operation Miracle. But it's no miracle, just the product of a society which is based on human needs, not profit, and believes in human solidarity, rather than "everyone for him/herself."

Almost half a million people from 28 nations have benefited from Operation Miracle, a highly successful program started by Cuba that provides free [eye] surgery to low income patients.

A report issued by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health and presented at a recent parliamentary hearing informed that a total of 485,476 patients have been operated on including 290,000 Venezuelans.

The initial eye operations took place exclusively at Cuban hospitals, but with the objective of extending the program, similar surgical facilities were set up in other nations, always under the supervision of Cuban medical personnel.

Today, 13 ophthalmologic centers are in service in Venezuela, and similar facilities are providing services in Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Bolivia.

Bill Gates thinks that it takes money to solve problems like this. It does, of course, and I commended him just yesterday for being one of the few Americans to even acknowledge the existence of these problems, as well as putting his money (his Foundation's money, anyway) where his mouth is. But, first and foremost, what it takes is will. If a small, poor country like Cuba can accomplish the things described in this article, just imagine what the richest country could do, if it were organized according to human needs.