Havana - The Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) celebrates its 20th anniversary with the commitment to continue training women and men of science and conscience to contribute from Cuba to the unity and integration of nations.

As Fidel Castro stated at its opening on November 15, 1999, during the 9th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, this center is dedicated to the noblest and most humane of professions: saving lives and preserving health.

The aim of creating such an institution was first mentioned on November 21, 1998, when the leader of the Cuban Revolution spoke publicly after Hurricane Mitch struck Central America, after conceptualizing the Comprehensive Health Program, which would begin to be applied in the countries affected by the powerful storm.

'More than doctors, they will be the most precious guardians of human beings; apostles and creators of a more humane world', he emphasized.

With a current number of students surpassing 7,000 from 24 countries of Latin America and the United States, the school is celebrating its 20th anniversary, also coinciding with its 15th graduation, in which young people from all continents received their diplomas after achieving outstanding results.

ELAM, as a scientific-pedagogical project, constitutes a history of fraternity and solidarity between Cuba and countries of all latitudes.