Mapping the Literature on Development Assistance in Health: A Bibliometric Analysis

Introduction Economic development is closely associated with good health, well-being, and education. Various concepts and indices, such as multidimensional poverty and the human development index, have been formulated to encompass social, political, and economic metrics to measure poverty and well-being. A critical aspect of human development is health and well-being. Health systems worldwide are combating unique disease burdens as per their contexts. While lower-middle- and low-income countries have made significant strides in tackling communicable diseases and maternal and child mortality, some countries continue to face a dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Governments, international agencies, philanthropies, and private enterprises fund specific countries and health focus areas for better global and regional public health outcomes. For instance, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) includes health as part of its official development assistance (ODA; government aid that is specifically targeted towards the economic development and the welfare of developing countries). ODA spans many development sectors and is channelled through branches of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions. Development assistance for health (DAH) focuses only on health and includes aid from governments, private organisations, and philanthropies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).