Federal Ministry of Health (Germany)
Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (BMG) | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1961 |
Jurisdiction | Government of Germany |
Headquarters | |
Employees | 700 |
Annual budget | €41.250 billion (2020)[1] |
Minister responsible |
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Agency executives |
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Website | www |
The Federal Ministry of Health (Template:Lang-de), abbreviated BMG, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its headquarters are located in Bonn with a second major office in Berlin. 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, location in Berlin.[2]
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 | ||||||
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Elisabeth Schwarzhaupt (1901–1986) |
CDU | 14 November 1961 | 30 November 1966 | Adenauer (IV • V) Erhard (I • II) | |
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Käte Strobel (1907–1996) |
SPD | 1 December 1966 | 21 October 1969 | Kiesinger (I) | |
Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health | ||||||
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Käte Strobel (1907–1996) |
SPD | 22 October 1969 | 15 December 1972 | Brandt (I) | |
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Dr. Katharina Focke (1922–2016) |
SPD | 15 December 1972 | 14 December 1976 | Brandt (II) Schmidt (I) | |
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Antje Huber (1924–2015) |
SPD | 16 December 1976 | 28 April 1982 | Schmidt (II • III) | |
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Anke Fuchs (1937–2019) |
SPD | 28 April 1982 | 1 October 1982 | Schmidt (III) | |
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Dr. Heiner Geißler (1930–2017) |
CDU | 4 October 1982 | 26 September 1985 | Kohl (I • II) | |
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Prof. Rita Süssmuth (b. 1937) |
CDU | 26 September 1985 | 5 June 1986 | Kohl (II) | |
Federal Minister for Youth, Family, Women and Health | ||||||
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Prof. Rita Süssmuth (b. 1937) |
CDU | 6 June 1986 | 9 December 1988 | Kohl (II • III) | |
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Prof. Ursula Lehr (b. 1930) |
CDU | 9 December 1988 | 18 January 1991 | Kohl (III) | |
Federal Minister for Health | ||||||
style="background:Template:Christian Social Union in Bavaria/meta/color;" | | Gerda Hasselfeldt (b. 1950) |
CSU | 18 January 1991 | 6 May 1992 | Kohl (IV) | |
style="background:Template:Christian Social Union in Bavaria/meta/color;" | | Horst Seehofer (b. 1949) |
CSU | 6 May 1992 | 26 October 1998 | Kohl (IV • V) | |
style="background:Template:Alliance 90/The Greens/meta/color;" | | Andrea Fischer (b. 1960) |
Green | 27 October 1998 | 12 January 2001 | Schröder (I) | |
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Ulla Schmidt (b. 1949) |
SPD | 12 January 2001 | 22 October 2002 | ||
Federal Minister for Health and Social Security | ||||||
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Ulla Schmidt (b. 1949) |
SPD | 22 October 2002 | 22 November 2005 | Schröder (II) | |
Federal Minister for Health | ||||||
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" | | Ulla Schmidt (b. 1949) |
SPD | 22 November 2005 | 27 October 2009 | Merkel (I) | |
style="background:Template:Free Democratic Party (Germany)/meta/color;" | | Philipp Rösler (b. 1973) |
FDP | 28 October 2009 | 12 May 2011 | Merkel (II) | |
style="background:Template:Free Democratic Party (Germany)/meta/color;" | | Daniel Bahr (b. 1976) |
FDP | 12 May 2011 | 17 December 2013 | ||
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Hermann Gröhe (b. 1961) |
CDU | 17 December 2013 | 14 March 2018 | Merkel (III) | |
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" | | Jens Spahn (b. 1980) |
CDU | 14 March 2018 | Incumbent | Merkel (IV) |
Responsibilities of the Federal Ministry of Health
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:
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Template:Lang-de, abbreviated BfArM) in Bonn
- Federal Centre for Health Education (Template:Lang-de, abbreviated BZgA) in Cologne
- German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (Template:Lang-de, abbreviated DIMDI) in Cologne
- Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines in Langen, Hesse
- Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin
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
- European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (SANCO)
References
- ^ "Bundeshaushalt". www.bundeshaushalt.de. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ Federal Ministry of Health Official website (in English) retrieved 1-Jun-2012
- ^ Fach- und Dienstaufsicht, includes review of decisions and behavior of staff of those institutions
- ^ Fachaufsicht, includes review of decisions of staff of those institutions (not merely their legality)
- ^ Rechtsaufsicht, includes review of legality of actions of those institutions