Organisational structure of the German Medical Association

In organisational terms, the headquarters of the German Medical Association in Berlin are divided into seven departments, the General Secretary, the Department for Foreign Affairs and the Press Office of the German Medical Association. In addition, there are such institutions as the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Medical Association and the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association, which have their own statutes and rules of procedure, and whose members are elected by the Executive Committee of the German Medical Association or the German Medical Assembly. The Scientific Advisory Board of the German Medical Association consists of 37 scientists from virtually every medical discipline. It advises the medical profession on matters relating to medical science which arise in the context of preparing and implementing laws concerning the health system and in the exercise of the medical profession. In addition, it draws up guidelines, recommendations and statements concerning diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, taking both ethical and legal aspects into consideration. The Drug Commission of the German Medical Association is an expert scientific committee of the German Medical Association with 40 full and 110 extraordinary members from various medical disciplines. It provides the medical profession with information on efficient and effective drug therapy, and has developed a database for the spontaneous recording of adverse drug reactions (side-effects).