Honduran President Acknowledges Cuba's Support in Healthcare Sector

The President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, thanked Cuba today for its unconditional assistance to the country in the healthcare sector, following a visit to a free ophthalmology clinic built by her government in the city of San Pedro Sula.

Accompanied by several members of her administration and the Cuban ambassador to Honduras, Juan Loforte, the president supervised the services offered by the new facility this Tuesday. This clinic is the fifth of its kind at the national level and is located in the so-called industrial capital of the Central American nation.

Castro praised "the special participation of our sister people and country, which is Cuba" in this project, part of the Operation Milagro program, which counts on the collaboration of specialist doctors from the Caribbean nation.

The head of state asked Ambassador Loforte to extend her gratitude to the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, for "this support they are providing us," she emphasized.

Since its inauguration in December 2023, the Operation Milagro program has carried out nearly 54,000 consultations and some 6,500 cataract and pterygium surgeries, in addition to distributing approximately 10,600 pairs of prescription glasses at no cost to vulnerable sectors.

Last May, during the opening of the third ophthalmology clinic in Tegucigalpa, Castro also highlighted Cuban cooperation in education, through the recognized "Yo, sí puedo" (Yes, I Can) method, which allowed Honduras to declare itself free of illiteracy last September.

"I thank, on behalf of the Honduran people, all that selfless contribution provided to us by the government and people of Cuba," the leader underscored at the time, while praising the talent of the Caribbean nation's professionals.

"It is a privilege that God gives them, it is not only the scientific capacity they possess, but that heart and that solidarity to serve others," emphasized the first woman president of Honduras.

With the support of Cuba and Venezuela, the Operation Milagro program began during the presidency of Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009) but was interrupted following the coup d'état against the then-leader, who is now the head of the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party.

The initiative was resumed under the Castro administration with the acquisition of new equipment through an alliance between several institutions, consolidating Honduras's first public ophthalmology network.