Rural women's access to Health: rethinking the meanings of care from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The article analyzes access to healthcare for rural populations in Mato Grosso do Sul, with an emphasis on the municipalities of Dourados and Rio Brilhante. Based on a qualitative approach, we articulate field observations and interviews with managers, professionals, users, and companions of SUS patients to understand how meanings of care are produced in territories marked by socio-territorial and gender inequalities. The collected narratives reveal challenges such as precarious services, scarcity of infrastructure, and the centralization of public policies and public facilities in large urban centers. The research draws on references from the Social Sciences in Health to reflect on the concrete conditions of care in inland contexts. By bringing to light experiences from the so-called "deep Brazil," the study seeks to destabilize the epistemological hegemony of large centers and to strengthen more humane, territorialized care practices committed to equity.