The Cuba-Jamaica Eye Care Programme is set to resume during the first quarter of this year, following its suspension three years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of health and wellness, made the announcement on Friday (January 13) during his tour of the ophthalmology centre at the St Joseph Hospital in Kingston.

Tufton noted that the programme will provide service to approximately 12,000 patients who have been anticipating its return.

“The anticipation is that we will move quickly to try and clear up [the] significant backlog. The anticipation is to do 100 cases or so per week… I am told. Twenty cases a day,” he noted.

Tufton explained that a majority of the patients are set to receive cataract and diabetic retinopathy treatments, while a limited number of persons are awaiting surgery for pterygium.

The Cuban team, consisting of 19 members, includes specialists such as ophthalmologists and optometrists.

Tufton noted that the possibility of screening has been strengthened with the inclusion of optometrists.

He said: “The Government will partner closely with authorities around the material that is required to support the surgeries and the other procedures.”

The Cuba-Jamaica Eye Care Programme was first launched in 2010 and introduces Cuban healthcare professionals into Jamaica’s healthcare system to provide quality healthcare service to the island’s citizens.

–JIS