ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the deliberateness with which the maternal-infant health improvements are collectively pursued in Cuba. It draws attention to a range of institutionalized arrangements which coordinate and integrate diverse sections of the community into the process of implementing the goals set out in the Maternal-Infant Health Program (PAMI). The chapter argues that the unusual cohesion and coordination of the system in the pursuit of improved maternal-infant health outcomes can be explained as the outcome of an organizational hierarchy. It finds evidence of some aspects of state "embeddedness" which neo-statists have argued increases political effectiveness. The chapter provides a broad outline of the approach to health in Cuba and the organizational arrangements that have facilitated public policy implementation. One of the more conspicuous characteristics of Cuban health system is a high level of cohesion and collaboration between different institutions within the health sector regarding the country's health goals and priorities.
