Jens Spahn appointed Federal Minister of Health

The subsequent swearing-in ceremony was held at the German Bundestag. Federal Minister of Health Spahn’s predecessor in office, Hermann Gröhe (CDU), had held this office since December 2013.

The 37-year-old Spahn has been a member of the Bundestag since 2002. From 2005 to 2015 he was at first Spokesperson of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag’s Committee on Health, then the Group’s Health Spokesperson. He has gathered his experience in government during his time as the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Finance, a post he has held since July 2015. Born in Ahaus in the Münsterland region, he began his professional career as a bank business management assistant and went on to study political science.

The Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Health will be Sabine Weiss. Born in Duisburg in 1958, she is a lawyer and has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. From 2014, she served as the Vice-Chair of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group responsible for Labour and Social Affairs as well as Economic Co-operation and Development.

Dr. Thomas Gebhart will also serve as Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Health. The 46-year-old, who comes from Southern Palatinate, studied business administration and political science. A member of the German Bundestag since 2009, he sits on the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

The two Parliamentary State Secretaries were appointed on Thursday, 15th March, 2018.

Lutz Stroppe will continue in office as the Permanent State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health.