Did Cuba's 1961 health and literacy programs actually work long-term?

Researchers compared Cuba's health and education outcomes after 1961 against a synthetic control group of similar countries, tracking 122 years of data. Infant mortality dropped sharply and stayed down; schooling gains were similarly durable, though longevity improvements stalled after 1990 when Soviet aid dried up. The findings suggest that bundled public health and mass education programs create permanent early-life advantages even under economic stress.