MORE THAN six million persons from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa, women, children and men alike, have regained their sight as a result of the Miracle Mission programme launched by the late Presidents Fidel Castro Ruz of Cuba and Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela in 2004.

This announcement was made by the current Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro as his country joined others in this hemisphere in commemorating the 25th year of the elimination of polio in the Americas. Incidentally, Venezuela has achieved a 96 per cent coverage of children of vaccination age.

The Miracle Mission programme, dubbed “Vision Now” in

St Vincent and the Grenadines, has provided free treatment to hundreds of Vincentians, both at home and in Cuba. Treatment is provided by the excellent services of Cuban doctors and Venezuela has generously funded the programme, allowing patients who suffer from various eye ailments such as cataracts, glaucoma and afflictions in the retina and cornea among others, either to travel to Cuba for operations there or to have them treated at home by Cuban specialists.

It has been a hugely successful programme which has been widely praised throughout the regional and international communities.