ALYNE NETWORK: Historical process of creation and initial impacts

Abstract

Introduction: Women's health care in Brazil has evolved from a merely reproductive focus (20th century) to the concept of comprehensive care (WHO/1948), driven by the Feminist Movement and enshrined by the Program for Integrated Women's Health Care (PAISM) (1984) and the 1988 Constitution. The country advanced in humanization (Program for Humanization of Prenatal and Childbirth Care - PHPN/2000) and in combating avoidable maternal mortality (National Policy for Comprehensive Women's Health Care - PNAISM/2003). This trajectory culminated in the creation of the Alyne Network (Rede Alyne) (2024), motivated by an international condemnation. The current focus is on deepening humanization, reducing morbidity and mortality, and combating social and racial inequalities in access to maternal health. Objective: To analyze the historical process of creation and the initial impacts of the Alyne Network. Method: This is an integrative literature review. Searches were conducted in the SciELO and LILACS databases, using the following descriptors and search strategies: Maternal-Child Health Service AND (Maternal Mortality OR Infant Mortality OR Public Policies OR Humanization of Childbirth). Results:The final sample for this integrative review is composed of 15 scientific articles, all written in Portuguese and published between 2020 and 2024, selected in strict compliance with the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies addressed the quality and adequacy of maternal-child care (13 out of 15 articles), with the theme also being related to access to health services and perinatal mortality/morbidity. Discussion: Maternal mortality in Brazil is a serious indicator of social inequity, with most deaths being avoidable and compromising the SDG target (MMR 70/100 thousand). There is a profound inequality, with 63.8% of deaths (2024) concentrated in brown and black women. Negligence, as in the Alyne Pimentel Teixeira Case, led to Brazil's condemnation (2010) and the creation of the Alyne Network (2024) to restructure care with a focus on racial equity and humanization. However, its implementation faces structural challenges, such as institutional racism and regional barriers. Conclusion: The Alyne Network, a landmark of historical reparation, has an incipient implementation. Maternal deaths persist at an alarming rate among brown, black, and indigenous women. The central challenge is to overcome institutional racism and logistical failures to ensure ethnic-racial equity and the right to life.