WE NOTE that Minister of Health Horace Dalley has indicated his intention to visit Cuba shortly to get a first-hand look at facilities there for eye surgery.
His visit is prompted by concerns from local ophthalmologists about patient care, amid reports of complications, and at least three cases of loss of sight, from several patients who recently visited our neighbours under the Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme, started nine months ago.
Quite appropriately, the minister's fact-finding team is to include local ophthalmologists, although we think it is unfortunate that this assessment is being done after the first set of surgeries were performed. The Jamaican Government should have been able at the very outset of concerns being raised, having done its own 'due diligence' assessment, to state its confidence in the integrity of the programme being funded by the Venezuelan Government.
We do not expect blind support that ignores facts, but it is difficult to understand the inability of the ministry's officers to contradict without equivocation the concerns of local doctors unless they, too, have reasons to be concerned, in which case they should suspend the programme until they have satisfied themselves and can assure the public that all is well. Scores of Jamaicans were given a ray of hope and countless others are hopeful that if the integrity of the programme is confirmed they will be given a shot at having their eyesight improved. Our overburdened system cannot give proper attention to the many people needing eye treatment.
The Cubans have long been lauded for having a fairly high standard of medical care despite the sanctions and blockade imposed by the American Government. We hardly think it likely that the Cubans would be generally cavalier in the conduct of eye surgery, particularly on foreigners. They would be well aware of the folly of giving extensive advertisements to a bad product. On the other hand, it is always useful to look a gift horse in the mouth.
What is of primary concern to us, however, is the health of the Jamaicans who have travelled to Cuba for eye surgery.
We should not be so grateful for subsidised treatment as to be indifferent to the quality of health care. Nor should we be unmindful that there may be other issues at play in the sounding of the alarm locally issues that may result from the residual distrust of a less than open society and geo-political considerations.
We expect the minister to be able to tell the Jamaican public that he, along with a qualified team of doctors, having visited the facilities where Jamaicans are slated to have surgeries done, is completely satisfied with the competence of the Cubans and the quality of equipment being used. Nothing else will suffice.
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