Government and community strategies in Pernambuco, Brazil, to face COVID-19.

Abstract

This case study analyzed arrangements and strategies of the network actors in the Special Indigenous Sanitary District (DSEI) Pernambuco's territory to guarantee the right to health of Indigenous populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work was carried out through document analysis, workshops, and field research. The Contingency Plan for COVID-19 in Indigenous Peoples of DSEI Pernambuco included surveillance actions, laboratory and pharmaceutical assistance, communication, and management. With the modeling of this document, it was noticed that actions aimed at local specificities were not integrated: in its initial design, at the national level, the voice of Indigenous leaders was not heard when formulating this plan. By contrast, the actions of these leaders and their mobilization to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the Indigenous population stands out. Contextual factors were cited as facilitators and obstacles to the plan's implementation; the local sociotechnical network mapping also made it possible to identify strategic actors and actants in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and verify their performance or ineffectiveness. The findings of this study reflect recurrent problems in the organization of the Indigenous health system.