Government shells out nearly two million euros for health portal service
In the digital age, access to reliable health information has never been more crucial. Yet, controversy surrounds the German government's national health portal, gesund.bund.de, which went live in early September.
Two men are shown browsing the internet in a photograph associated with the article, but the national health portal, a neutral, ad-free hub for health information, is not as popular as one might expect. This is due to its lack of internet promotion by the federal government, a criticism leveled by FDP health expert Wieland Schinnenburg.
The German government has spent approximately two million euros from the budget for the national health portal, with the digital agency Valid commissioned to operate it, costing around 1.8 million euros so far. The agency's task is to ensure the smooth running of the portal, which has incurred additional operational costs, bringing the total expenditure to approximately 3 million euros.
Schinnenburg, however, believes that the federal ministry of health must urgently adjust its approach to promote the national health portal more effectively. He has called for a timely, critical evaluation of the project due to the high ongoing costs.
As it stands, the national health portal is not widely used, with many Germans unaware of its existence. This lack of popularity is a concern for Schinnenburg, who emphasises the importance of providing easy access to reliable health information in the digital age.
The national health portal, a valuable resource for health-related queries, deserves more attention and promotion from the federal government. Only then can it fulfil its potential as a reliable, ad-free hub for health information, benefiting the health and wellbeing of the German population.
