Global human burden and official development assistance in health R&D: The role of medical absorptive capacity

Abstract We investigate country-level determinants of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in health R&D with a focus on levels and types of human suffering as well as levels and types of medical absorptive capacity. Using latest data from a range of sources and various tests on large numbers of countries in receipt of health R&D ODA, we find support for the central assertions that human burden has a direct positive impact on receipt of health R&D ODA and that medical absorptive capacity in the recipient country moderates this relationship. The relationship between human burden and health R&D ODA receipt does not hold for countries low in medical absorptive capacity. Additional analysis reveals: (1) medical absorptive capacity that involves regular patient contact has the strongest moderating effect on the burden – funding relationship, (2) receipt of health R&D ODA under low levels of medical absorptive capacity explained not by human burden but by small country bias, and (3) the importance of nurses to health R&D ODA in countries with high levels of human suffering and health R&D ODA but voids of doctors and clinical trials.