The Ambiguity Imperative: "Success" in a Maternal Health Program in Uganda. Issue 5 (4th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lange, Isabelle L.; Nalwadda, Christine Kayemba; Kiguli, Juliet; Penn-Kekana, Loveday
• Is Part Of: Medical anthropology. Volume 40:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 458
• Page End: 472
• Publication Date: 2021-07-04
• Subjects: Uganda -- global health -- maternal health -- medical programming -- policy context -- social franchising; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; 362.1
• DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2021.1922901
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0145-9740

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Global health programs are compelled to demonstrate impact on their target populations. We study an example of social franchising – a popular healthcare delivery model in low/middle-income countries – in the Ugandan private maternal health sector. The discrepancies between the program's official profile and its actual operation reveal the franchise responded to its beneficiaries, but in a way incoherent with typical evidence production on social franchises, which privileges simple narratives blurring the details of program enactment. Building on concepts of not-knowing and the production of success, we consider the implications of an imperative to maintain ambiguity in global health programming and academia.