BIPS expert supports statement by the German Medical Association on public health

“The survey shows that German doctors are clearly in favor of strengthening public health in Germany. I am very pleased about that,” says Prof. Dr. Hajo Zeeb, head of the Prevention and Evaluation Department at the Leibniz Institute for Epidemiology and Prevention Research - BIPS in Bremen. However, he adds: “In the interests of a good public health strategy, the medical profession must be willing to relinquish responsibility, because it will only be successful if different sectors work together and there is a comprehensive understanding of health.”

Demographic change, the increase in chronic and mental illnesses, and changing living and working conditions are presenting the German healthcare system with growing challenges. This increases the importance of a public health approach that identifies risks early on, enables effective prevention, and sustainably strengthens the health of the population, according to the BÄK.

Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association, explained to the Federal Press Conference: "There are many factors and circumstances that determine whether a person remains healthy or becomes ill. Sometimes it is simply fate, but health and illness depend largely on individual behavior, as well as living conditions and social status. Public health addresses these and many other interrelationships: it is about identifying the causes of disease, promoting prevention, and taking joint responsibility. If we want to strengthen the health of the population in the long term, we must consider it in all policy areas in the spirit of a health-in-all-policies approach. Only when political decisions in areas such as education, the environment, work, urban development, or transportation also take health impacts into account can maintaining the health of the population succeed as a common social task."

The complete report can be downloaded here.