Coproduction of Health Care for Indigenous Women: Evaluating a Medical Intervention in the Great Chaco Region

Coproduction between state and civil society raises many questions: from state capture, to civil society cooptation, and accountability in public goods and services’ delivery. We analyze a collaboration among Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay and two health-care non-governmental organizations that provide prenatal care to women in the Great Chaco region, where a majority of the population is indigenous and maternal and infant mortality are high. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews, we assess complementarity and embeddedness of the intervention along four dimensions: 1) patients’ access to health-care, 2) diagnostics and treatment, 3) human resources, and 4) financial resources. We argue this intervention is a valuable strategy to improve access and delivery of health care to pregnant women and attend neglected diseases. We also raise concerns about institutional racism and the absence of an intercultural approach to health-care. We contribute to the literatures on coproduction, health care, and indigenous populations.