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.