Final answer:
Bilateral health aid is assistance provided by one country to another that targets improvements in health outcomes. It can address immediate medical needs or infrastructure development and is often managed by state-sponsored institutions or NGOs with government funds, such as the response to the meningitis outbreak in Ethiopia.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bilateral health aid is a type of foreign assistance provided by one country to another, aimed specifically at improving health outcomes within the recipient country. This form of aid has a number of characteristics: it can be directed towards medical humanitarian assistance in response to conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics, or when there is exclusion from health care services. Bilateral health aid is often managed by state-sponsored institutions, such as the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), or by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as CARE International that operate with the support of donor government funds.
For example, during the meningitis outbreak in Ethiopia in 2010, DFID provided funds to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health for training rural health care workers and for vaccines. This kind of aid is not just about immediate medical support but can also encompass the broader task of building economic infrastructure necessary for health, including clean water, plumbing, electricity, and roads. These efforts are seen as ways to alleviate human suffering and improve overall health in low- and middle-income countries.