Federal Ministry of Health (Germany)

The Federal Ministry of Health (German: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit), abbreviated BMG, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the highest German federal government department responsible for health. The ministry is officially located in Bonn and with a second office, which houses the ministry's management, located in Berlin.[2]

Karl Lauterbach
The Ministerial building in Bonn

Federal Ministry of Health
Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (BMG)
Agency overview
Formed1961
JurisdictionGovernment of Germany
Headquarters
  • Rochusstraße 1
    53123 Bonn
  • Friedrichstraße 108
    10117 Berlin
Employees700
Annual budget€35.299 billion (2021)[1]
Minister responsible
Agency executives
Websitewww.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de

History

The Federal Ministry of Health was founded in 1961; in 1969 it was merged with the Federal Ministry for Family and Youth to create the new Federal Ministry for Youth, Family and Health.

In 1991, the Federal Ministry of Health was restored. In 2002, it was expanded to include social affairs and renamed "Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security" (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Soziale Sicherung). It was headed by the Federal Minister for Health and Social Security. Its portfolio included one part of the former Federal Ministry of Labour and the Social Order. The other part of the latter was added to the portfolio of the newly created Federal Ministry for Economics and Labour. Under the grand coalition headed by Angela Merkel in 2005, the portfolio reshuffle was reversed and responsibility for social affairs was moved back to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social affairs (Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales).

Ministers

Political Party:   CDU   CSU   SPD   Green   FDP

Name
(Born–Died)		 Portrait Party Term of Office Chancellor
(Cabinet)
Federal Minister for Health Affairs (1961–1969)
Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health (1969–1986)
Federal Minister for Youth, Family, Women and Health (1986–1991)
1 Dr.
Elisabeth Schwarzhaupt
(1901–1986)		 CDU 14 November 1961 30 November 1966 Adenauer
(IV • V)
Erhard
(I • II)
2 Käte Strobel
(1907–1996)		 SPD 1 December 1966 15 December 1972 Kiesinger
(I)
Brandt
(I)
3 Dr.
Katharina Focke
(1922–2016)		 SPD 15 December 1972 14 December 1976 Brandt (II)
Schmidt (I)
4 Antje Huber
(1924–2015)		 SPD 16 December 1976 28 April 1982 Schmidt
(II • III)
5 Anke Fuchs
(1937–2019)		 SPD 28 April 1982 1 October 1982 Schmidt
(III)
6 Dr.
Heiner Geißler
(1930–2017)		 CDU 4 October 1982 26 September 1985 Kohl
(I • II)
7 Prof. Dr.
Rita Süssmuth
(b. 1937)		 CDU 26 September 1985 9 December 1988 Kohl
(II • III)
8 Prof. Dr.
Ursula Lehr
(1930–2022)		 CDU 9 December 1988 18 January 1991 Kohl
(III)
Federal Minister for Health (1991–2002, 2005–present)
Federal Minister for Health and Social Security (2002–2005)
9 Gerda Hasselfeldt
(b. 1950)		 CSU 18 January 1991 6 May 1992 Kohl
(IV)
10 Horst Seehofer
(b. 1949)		 CSU 6 May 1992 26 October 1998 Kohl
(IV • V)
11 Andrea Fischer
(b. 1960)		 Green 27 October 1998 12 January 2001 Schröder
(I)
12 Ulla Schmidt
(b. 1949)		 SPD 12 January 2001 27 October 2009 Schröder
(I • II)
Merkel
(I)
13 Dr.
Philipp Rösler
(b. 1973)		 FDP 28 October 2009 12 May 2011 Merkel
(II)
14 Daniel Bahr
(b. 1976)		 FDP 12 May 2011 17 December 2013
15 Hermann Gröhe
(b. 1961)		 CDU 17 December 2013 14 March 2018 Merkel
(III)
16 Jens Spahn
(b. 1980)		 CDU 14 March 2018 8 December 2021 Merkel
(IV)
17 Prof. Dr.
Karl Lauterbach
(b. 1963)		 SPD 8 December 2021 Incumbent Scholz
(I)

Responsibilities of the Federal Ministry of Health
See also: Health in Germany
Second office on Friedrichstraße in Berlin

The Federal Ministry of Health is responsible for:

  • maintaining the effectiveness and efficiency of the statutory health insurance and long-term care insurance systems
  • maintaining and enhancing the quality of the health care system
  • strengthening the interests of patients
  • maintaining economic viability and stabilization of contribution levels
  • preventive and prophylactic healthcare
  • the Protection against Infection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, or IfSG)
  • establishing guidelines for the manufacture, clinical trial, approval, distribution channels and monitoring of medicines and medical devices. The objectives are:
    • quality, medical efficacy and safety
    • safety of biological medical products such as blood products
  • narcotics and addiction risk prevention
  • prevention, rehabilitation and disability policy
    • medical and occupational rehabilitation
    • disability law
    • providing assistance to the disabled and promoting their interests
  • European and international health policy, including the work of the Federal Government Narcotics Officer and the patients' ombudsman.

Supervisory role

The Federal Ministry of Health is responsible for the comprehensive[3] (disciplinary) supervision of the following governmental institutions:

The Federal Ministry of Health is also responsible for the non-disciplinary supervision[4] of

  • the German Federal (Social) Insurance Authority (Bundesversicherungsamt).

and the legal supervision[5] of the umbrella organizations of the statutory health insurance schemes.

See also

References
  1. "Bundeshaushalt". www.bundeshaushalt.de. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  2. Federal Ministry of Health Official website (in English) retrieved 1 June 2012
  3. Fach- und Dienstaufsicht, includes review of decisions and behavior of staff of those institutions
  4. Fachaufsicht, includes review of decisions of staff of those institutions (not merely their legality)
  5. Rechtsaufsicht, includes review of legality of actions of those institutions
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