Havana, August 3 (RHC-ACN)-- One hundred and seventy medical students from the U.S. have graduated in Cuba, thanks to the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), launched by Revolution leader Fidel Castro.

Since the school's first graduation in 2005, to date, over 28,500 medical students from 103 countries have graduated from ELAM, completely free of charge.

In statements to Cuban News Agency, U.S. Dr. David Floyd -- one of 25 U.S. health professionals who graduated from ELAM this past July-- expressed his gratitude to the Cuban government, people, and teachers and workers affiliated with this noble project.  He said projects like ELAM contribute to building integration among communities from around the world.

There currently 4,690 students from 112 nations enrolled in university courses at ELAM in different health disciplines -- 83 of them are U.S. students.