Havana, May 30 (RHC)-- More than 30,100 Cuban health professionals are currently offering their services to people in 18 out of the 25 member states of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), whose 7th Summit will take place June 2nd through the 4th here in Havana.

In statements to reporters, Dr. Regla Angulo Pardo, Director of the Cuban Medical Cooperation Program (UCCM) at the country's Health Ministry, said that Venezuela leads the list of ACS member countries that benefit from Cuba's health cooperation with 28,395 Cuban doctors, technicians and nurses working across the country, followed in that order by Haiti, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Belize and Honduras.

The Cuban official pointed to the presence of smaller health brigades in countries like Nicaragua, Antigua & Barbudas, The Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname, El Salvador and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Dr. Angulo Pardo stressed that as part of Operation Miracle devoted to restoring or improving patients' vision, Cuban ophthalmologists are serving in nine other Caribbean nations. She also recalled that in 2015, a 15-member brigade from the Henry Reeve Contingent, traveled to Dominica, to assist victims of tropical storm Erika.

The Cuban health official said that the Cuban health professionals working in other ACS states have collectively treated some 1.2 billion patients, and performed 4.6 million surgeries, in addition to promoting important vaccination and health prevention campaigns, for which they have earned the admiration and respect of the local population and authorities.