Poor children face barriers to healthydevelopment even before they are born. Their mothers may nothave nutritious food or proper prenatal care, which can harma baby s brain development when it needs it most. Mothersmay not deliver in a health facility nor have a skilledbirth attendant present, increasing the risk ofcomplications and ultimately putting their life and that ofthe baby at risk. In Argentina, the World Bank supported agovernment program, Plan Nacer, to improve maternal-childhealth outcomes through increased coverage and quality ofhealth services. The program gives provincial authoritiesfinancial incentives for enrolling pregnant women andchildren in the program and for achieving specific primaryhealth care goals. An impact evaluation found that PlanNacer improved the birth weight of babies and reducednewborn deaths, while improving access to public healthfacilities and boosting the quality of care. The evidencefrom this evaluation will equip policy makers in low andmiddle income countries with additional information whendesigning health programs aimed at improving specificoutcomes. As governments around the world look for ways tocreate effective programs to help their poorest citizens,the results from this impact evaluation provide an exampleof how health sector reforms can give children the rightstart in life.
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