The Effect of Doctors without Borders on Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

This research studies the relationship between the activity of medical disaster-response humanitarian aid and the rate of growth in developing economies. Data of total annual GDP and Doctors without Borders (MSF) activity in 23 countries was analyzed over the years 2000-2014 with correlation and regression analysis. Under this analysis results are inconclusive, with a correlation of zero between MSF activity’s within a country and change in that country’s rate of GDP growth. A conclusive response was found on the comparison between GDP growth in countries MSF was active in compared to countries with no MSF activity, showing that countries in which MSF was active in had a lower average GDP growth rate. This shows that the situations which MSF involves itself with are disasters with effects on national GDP greater than the effect of the aid provided by MSF