Chavez: Cuban Medical Solidarity Invaluable

Chavez: Cuban Medical Solidarity Invaluable Caracas, Aug 29. – The support provided by thousands of Cuban health experts in Venezuela is invaluable, President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday.

"There are no words to say thank you nor is there any way to calculate Cuba's generous assistance," the president said in the state of Nueva Esparta, where he inaugurated a high technology center for improving free medical care in the region.

According to the president, critics of bilateral cooperation should ask themselves about the value of Barrio Adentro (a health program with Cuba's support) for the Venezuelan people.

Thousands of full-time Cuban physicians, ophthalmologists, technicians and nurses; facilities, equipment and free medical training in faraway regions. "I wonder how much a private company would charge. That's why we say it is invaluable," Chavez stressed.

Cuba's solidarity is unprecedented, he stated.

"No power can do something like this. What the United States sends is marines," he commented.

The Venezuelan head of state also noted that Cuba's support for training doctors is not limited to Venezuela. Cuba carries "half of the world on its shoulders" regarding the training and education of physicians, he said.(Prensa Latina)