ABSTRACT
As the decade of the 1950s came to a close, Cuba's impressive standing with respect to indicators measuring overall macroeconomic development, as well as those measuring the population's standard of living as reflected in their purchasing power and the sophistication of the goods and services that they were consuming, were coupled with other important achievements in social spheres. Particularly important were those in education and health care. These two critical components of a nation's fabric had been prioritized by Cubans in synchronicity with the country's economic development. Correspondingly, the private and public sectors had made significant investments in education and health care that led to the island attaining very advanced standings relative to most countries in both of these areas. These achievements, in addition to being critical to the quality of life that Cubans had attained at that particular point in time, also bode well for future economic growth, which is always greatly stimulated by a well-educated, healthy population.
