Karl Lauterbach founds new institute for public health in Cologne!

Karl Lauterbach founds new institute for public health in Cologne!

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) will found a new Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) in Cologne on Thursday. The founding stems from an invitation to the employees of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) to the service meeting. The BZgA will be integrated into the new institute and will work closely with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in the future.

The new institute will collect health data and impart knowledge about healthy behaviors. The founding of the institute involved organizational and personnel changes. Originally, the foundation was supposed to be decided by the Bundestag, which was provided for in the coalition agreement of the traffic light coalition. However, due to the breakup of the alliance between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP, no corresponding law was passed. Lauterbach plans to restructure by decree.

Cooperation agreement and research strategy

A cooperation agreement with the RKI is to be signed on Friday. A joint committee will determine research priorities and develop information campaigns. Lauterbach sees the measures as the cornerstone for a necessary reform process to strengthen public health in the next legislative period.

Health monitoring at the RKI is based on data from the Robert Koch Institute and other epidemiological studies, such as the Federal Ministry of Health reported. It includes official statistics, epidemiological registers and routine data from social insurance providers and aims to comprehensively and continuously monitor the health situation in Germany. Results are presented in federal health reporting publications.

The health reporting information system provides all reliable and valid health data for Germany and is maintained by the Federal Statistical Office on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health.