Havana, Dec 23 (Prensa Latina) We will never be grateful enough to Cuba, said Venezuelan Ambassador in Havana Adán Chávez, after attending the screening of the documentary "Barrio Adentro", which features Cuba´s medical assistance to his country.

The diplomat voiced his gratitude for Cuban physicians and health technicians who, as part of the "Barrio Adentro" mission, have treated and preserved the lives of thousands of low-income Venezuelans.

So far the island´s physicians in Barrio Adentro have treated nearly 45 million patients in Venezuela.

In 1998, before Commander Hugo Chávez was elected president, 80 percent of the Venezuelan population lived below the poverty line and thousands died of curable diseases every year, he added.

My country has a population of 23 million, so we can say that each Venezuelan has been treated twice by doctors from this solidary nation since the first 58 physicians arrived in Caracas in April 2003, the Venezuelan envoy pointed out.

Chavez went on to say that 883 Venezuelan youths are studying medicine in Cuba, and nearly 500 students will arrive in February to enroll for college courses.