31,700 Cuban doctors work in health programs in Venezuela

Cuba has more than 38,000 health staff currently working in 66 countries, mostly in Latin America, Africa and Asia, as part of its programs of international medical cooperation, said official daily newspaper Juventud Rebelde.

The island's medical cooperation with developing countries began in 1963 and in 1998 the missions were systematized, following the creation of the "Comprehensive Health Program" (PIS), an initiative launched by then President Fidel Castro.

Cuba's most important mission is implemented in Venezuela where, according to data disclosed last February by Caracas, over 31,700 Cuban staff work in health care programs in low-income areas of the country.