The impact of COVID-19 on international development aid and health systems strengthening in low-income countries

Emery Manirambona; Shuaibu Saidu Musa; Sarah Irakoze; Theogene Uwizeyimana; Dawa Gyeltshen; Deo Bizoza; Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno Iii

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104772

The impact of COVID-19 on international development aid and health systems strengthening in low-income countries

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022 Oct:82:104772. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104772. Epub 2022 Sep 22.

Authors

Emery Manirambona¹, Shuaibu Saidu Musa², Sarah Irakoze³, Theogene Uwizeyimana⁴, Dawa Gyeltshen⁵, Deo Bizoza¹, Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno Iii⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
² Department of Nursing Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria.
³ Faculty of Medicine, University of Ngozi, Bujumbura, Burundi.
⁴ Educational Development and Quality Center, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda.
⁵ Eusa Hospital, Ministry of Health, Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan.
⁶ Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Health systems play a critical role in providing services that aim to improve, promote, restore, or maintain the health of communities. Unfortunately, health systems in low-income countries are fragile, having an adverse effect on the health of the population. Whereas international development aid remains crucial in strengthening health systems in low-income countries (LICs), COVID-19 has induced changes in the dynamics in the availability, provision and access to international development aid. These changes have aggravated the already weak health systems of LICs. Understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the distribution of international development aid and how these effects impacted on the quality of the health systems in response to the outbreak is critical to improving the health of populations in LICs. This article discusses the impact of the challenges faced by LICs in the context of international development aid needed for the development of health systems.

Keywords: COVID-19; Global aid; Health equity; Health financing; Health systems; LICs.