More than 4,000 Panamanians received free ophthalmologic surgery in Cuba in 2006 as part of Operation Miracle, La Estrella daily of Panama headlined Tuesday.

Of the total number of patients reported by the newspaper, 2,316 were treated for cataracts, 263 for strabismus, 1,336 for pterygium, 107 for ptosis and nine for retinitis pigmentaria.

One trip a week was made last year, 46 trips to the island in all, with an average 120 passengers, including patients and companions.

The objective is to cure 12,000 people of limited resources in the next four years, according to the newspaper.

The Health Ministry announced that the program will be resumed at the end of January, suspended temporally for the new year celebrations.

At that time 700 patients will be moved to Cuba for surgeries for cataracts, strabismus, ptrgium (illness of the conjunctiva and cornea) and ptosis palpebrales (congenital drooping eyelid).

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