MINISTRY OF HEALTH

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05316991
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2019
• Case Number: F-2018-01103
• Publication Date: May 28, 1953

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the 14a
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of. the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
- U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFO flON
COUNTRY East Germany REPORT NO.
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
SUBJECT Ministry of Health DATE DISTR. 28May 953
NO. OF PAGES
6
DATE OF INFO.
REQUIREMENT NO.
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PLACE ACQUIRED
REFERENCES
(D)(0)
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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1. Orgartzation.
Another reorganization is being planned in. the Ministry of Health. A meeting
about this WEIB held in the Soviet Control Commission (SCC) restricted area in
Berlin-Karishorst in August 1952. Arkhangelski (mu) and three other(unknown)
Russians attended for the Soviet side and Gottfried Drummer (Planning), Dieter
Baumann (Medicaments), Alfred Mitloehner (Planning) and Paul Eggert (Interpreter)
for the German side. The aim of the reorganizations will be to bring the German
structure even closer into line with. the Russian pattern. Two important changes
foreseen aret
a. Organization of a Main Department for Medicaments and Medical Equipment..
Sooner or later, this would become an independent State Secretariat4
Organization of a Main Section. for "Liaison with the German Red Cross"
(Hauptreferat Verbindung zum DRK). This would be something of a covez.
name, as the section would actually direct the DRK.
Preliminary work for the introduction of these changes is still in progress.
2, The East Germsn Red Cross ..(DRK)
The three purposes served by the DRK are as follows:
1) Political
The DRK mill be developed to a party-line group organization, By
using the good. name of the DRK� it is hoped to attract into a group
organization many people who could not otherwise be reached.
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STATE
ARMY
NAVY
AIR
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=rm. arrians any
PsThsAilitAry
e is the 1oest cooperation and coordination betWeen the
the -national tansy- (Mi. In the case of *special need*
tae re�oces. of the DM could be used to supplement the medical
and. !weenie :facilities of the peoples police.
(e) with the help of the Dni it is hoped t 1ithiate all
private transpOrt of patients,
CO The setting up of accident centers (Unfallstellen) 'will
also strike another blow doctors with private practices.
) The building of a -voluntary ecTps in the IRK will help to
cutsotial insurance costs.
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'.flP:1A1 #1 Al 1953
The 1953 plans picture on one side an Income of 171.000,000 :DM Fast
througi taking clever all patienttv transport and on the other side an
experAtture of 45,000,000 Di test for stores. The 'Stores are intended
to stock each Bezirk with a supply of medical outfits, bandages,
sterilizers,. medical tents and equipment for first aid. rooms (San-Stuben)c
In addition port; of the money is earmarked also for two MK accident
eziters in each Krei aria fOr the purchase of uniforms. ITRK uniforms
are to be oliye green.
-04 Other Tslein.S,
1) The IIRK plans to take Oyer the whole coastal itfcsaving service
front the peppiest sea poll.ce in 1953. CKuestercrettungsdienst.,
Beenotdienst. von der VP*See)
The Material Planning BectiOs Of' the Ministry of Health originally
planned for 750 rrivate vehicles for 19537 )400 for the Ministry and
359 for he DR. In January 1.9531, however.y it looked. as if only
're 420 Woad vailable, al 1. or the,, DR!,
3) it is planned to build up i organisation of 70,000 assistants
(Geoundhei helfer.) in 1953. nose will come only partly from
new reervitmentl a large number will be taken from assistants
In the Ee,alth Trade Vnioni part of .the Free German Trade Union
ASSOolation. (7T040,0
$.:uplA4e0
a. 1952 was a year of' extraOrdinary difficulties 'hLs was taused
ciiimply by the :64'11 that too mkny parties were ela=ring for the limited
'apply of gOOds ne�follOwil4 ;11 wIsied to araw from the available
Supplies (medic entsi Uca1 anvil dental apparatus an. supplies of all
kinds):
?Walt health awthOrities and the general paps ation..
2) utiabia� Azzy (M)
3) Peoptest ftliee (re)
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East
Ser
SWRET/CO 0' OTTICTALS oNLr
ross (DRO
(Itenst fuer Deutschland D)
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6) �FOreign trade authorities
7) State Secretariat fOr Administration of the National(State) Reerre.
8) Office for ReParatiOnal Soviet forces in E t Germany.
01-$-Qf No.; '8 abe Vete' small and. NOio. 7 34'',8S not yet important:
,t1Ore Iras much confusion teeRuse of ,the habits of, various
ations mentioned above of not wu,_.tn 'through the 'Proper channels
Thus the Ministry of Health Should have had 48 heavy X-ray apparatuses
(t7Ne lbstiz:4) in 1952 but only received one or two.
The result Of all this was to precipitate a whole series of meetings t with
Otto Grotewohl, with: the State -Planning Commission) and with the National
ArlInr It _Was finally decided:,
1) To organize a proper National Resery
2) To create a liOoordinating Office for Questions of Supply in the
lleld of Ralic 'Health" (Xdordinierungsstelle fuer Fragen der
MaterielversOrgang im. Gesundheitswesen), organized at first by
the State_ Administration. for Material Procurement but later
probably by the Ministry of the interior All distribution
of material will then (in theory, at least)? be coordinated
by this offiCe,',
3)
To coordinate the distribution of Xray apparatus and vehicles
at once, even before the above office is functioning.
tionhal Reserve ( r State Reserve -Staat eserve
In about October 1952/, after Luitpold Steidle, Minister of Bealth7 had
had to. tell Otto Grotewohl that there was almost no National Reserve,
the Ministry of Health was ordered by Grotewohl at once to draw up plans
to build Sucks reserve-. The plans were sent as secret documents to
Bruno lieuichner/, Chairman of the State Planning Conti ssion, on 25 November
1952. The present -� oratimry 1953) ti tuati on- is as f ollows :
1) Medical Apparatus (in the broadest sense)
Ca.)
25/000/000 DM Bast are allocated- for 1953 The prOvtai
of 20,000 'beds for .1.n patients is foreseen� with all. relevant
equipment? that is, complete hospital installations for a
total of 20,000 patients. Dr. Friedrich Mehlmack was charged
with this planning, which extends from the thermometers tO
the X-ray apparatus needed*. Dr4 Mehlmack recognized four types
in his plans;
ilospitalk Class 1. Up to 150 beds*
lospital1 01.ass 2, Up to 300 beds.
1100i-talk Class 3. Up to 600 teds.
gospitali 01asis If* Up to 10000 beds.
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i( ) Another 000 DM East b.ve been voted for this
reserve
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) The esery�1:11 be located, it i8 believed, in Land
At1000 or Land Thaeringia-4
ZicaMettO
(a) The present National Reserve is almost nil 7 Luttpold Steidley
Minister, bad to alzbliti; to Grotevohl n aie 1952, It now,
(Oranuvy 1953), contains about 120 milliard units
streptomytin* and some 17101nin.
(b) or 1953* �25/306,y000 DM East; are pallodatcd. 'These are for
intitt1in7 Sulphonamides., entibiotics7 end other medicines and
tar materials Disinfectants" sera, vaccines, and anti,pest
preparatiOnS viii also be stored.,
The ratiOnal Rese
15000,000 FM Fast have been voted for 1953 for X-ray contrast medial
antibiotics," imiulin and -sulphonamides particularly, 275007000 of
the 15,000,000 are for Western products,, Storage viii be in the
sub-depots of the DM Pbarsaszie und. Krankenhauaedart. The reserve
is to be built up by 30 June 19530
ans and Satellites in East le_rmriz
rda from the RasSiare (service or civilian) for East German medical
pharim+.ceutical copl,les are, with two minor exceptions, very rare
anti limited to odd items In, the last Isonths for example the only
OftileS kact3411 in' the nut.Stry 'Were demands for 1 diathermy apparatus',
1 spirometer and 1 *Baby-Messgeraet*. These 'were fox- the Russian
hospital ill 13:erlin4Cezite1Creito
One of the7Ozceptions is the Russian Polyclinic in Berlin-Weissensee.
nis serves the Opendents of members Of tlie RUStliall and satellite
aplOmatic corp13 and, all the Russians cpf -SAG headquarters and
USIG, located Berlin-Weissenteel, Berli.ner A.1.1 107). This polyclinic
is supplied by th.e Past German litinist:Ty of Ilealtha A considerable amount
In West *arks is also at the disposa,1 of this polyclinic and purchases
are made in the West as.necessary4
The second exception is the East Germati Government Hospital in the
Scharnhorststraasel 144,4 Staffh of the peoples democracy
missions are treated here,, Sometimes Russians are also treated here,
but only as out4patients1 they aro never leading flussiam�
who 41 go to the Per1.in4Car.lsktorst Russian. hospital. The goverment
hospital is supplied by the Muist:Ty of ireal.th in. the usual way.
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Extract from 's. letter dated. 29 October 1.2, from Secretary of State
�
Jenny Matern Minfstry of Reath to Prun Leuschner, chairman of
the State Planning Commissionc,
"Buiading of a National Reserve of medicinals and medical supplies".
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# .In connection with the absolute necessity of building such a reserve,
the following have already been placed at the disposal of the wird nistration
Of the National Reserve, having been taken from the Ministry of Irealtlifs
quotas for 1953:
Bandaging material - about 2,000,000 DM Bast worth (normally",
6 weeks supply).
Surgical =tar! material, to the value of 230 ,i0O Dia (no is -
about 3 months supply)
c. All-glass syringes and. canulae to the value of11111000 DME
(premilinary supplies for 40,000 beds).
d.
-1A001000 DM East worth of fever thermometers.
I have just been toldr however, by a representative of the State
Secretariat for the Mntinistration a the National Reserve, that
y the bandaging .material will be taken over. No money is available
or the remainder.1 6
The rest of the letter asks the State leaning Commission to look into
this and see that the money is somehow made availible.
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eltr.1
Meetings
ao The'neetIngy in about October 1952, at which it was decided to
built a National Reserve, VAS attended by:
ottO Orotewohl
Luitpold Steidle
Jenny Matern
Alfred Hinz
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(b)(3)
Minister-#Presidenty Chairman.
Minister of Health.
Secretary of State, Ministry of Health.
State IWTOnistration for Material Procurement.
:Bruno Lenschner Chairman, State Planning Commission.
Representative from the State whP'esale organilation.
Bruno Ieuschner sent the. Plans for the *serve (paragraph 4sy of report)
to Dr Friedriehy:raalthSoCtion, State Planning Commission. He called
a further meeting in December 1952. of: -
Dr, Friedrich3
Dieter Baumann.
dottttied Drummer
Steller (fnu)
State Planning Commis on public health
matters.
Ministry of Health,H5 (Medicaments)
Ministry of Healthy Planning
DHZ:Ph,sxmazie
Meeting of 2 January 1953. This was called to try and get the
vat,ious agencies drawing medical supplies to coordinate their
demands,, Present were the following:
Prof. Dr. Med Karl Walther
Kiesling (fnu)
ZDT;7SChUlz� representing
Dr. Rubens (fnu)
Dr. Werner Ludwig
Dr. Friedrich, Mehlmack
,ApotheborT Joedicke (fnu
Jenny Matern
Alfred Mitloehn.er
National Army (KVP)
National Army (KVP)
People/a Police
DRK
DRK
DfD
Secretary of State
of Health.'
Flaming, Miniatty of Health.
Of the
d. A, further meeting on the same subject as that in (c) abo
held in mid4anuary 1953. Present were the following:
iCurt Opitz
Alfred Mitloebner
Helmut Cruentheri, repre-
aenting Dr.,, Friedrich
Dr, Friedrich Mehlmaek
Frau Eppinger
Alfred Blum
1oMments:
State Planning Commission
Planning, Ministry of Health
Ministry
e liras
State Planning Commission
DRK
DBK
State Administration for 'Material
Procurement
� This may be thought of as a strategic reserve. Withdra
be made on the authority.of the Council of Ministers.
This maybe thought of as a tactical reserve. The State Adminiatratin
for Material Procurement can authorize withdrawals
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is may
The Dr. Friedrich who Its responsible for Public Health in the State
Planning Commission itas formerly the works doctor at thetWA1ter
Ulbricht" Chemical Works, Leuna. He is a "meritbrious peoplets doctor-.
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