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| Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport | |
 Logotype of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport | |
.jpeg) Building of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport | |
| Department overview | |
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| Formed | September 15, 1951; 74 years ago (1951-09-15) |
| Jurisdiction | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Headquarters | Parnassusplein 5, 2511 VXThe Hague,Netherlands |
| Annual budget | €79,7 billion (2018)[1] |
| Minister responsible |
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| Deputy Ministers responsible |
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| Website | government |
TheMinistry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Dutch:Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport; VWS) is theDutch Ministry responsible forpublic health,health care,quality of life,social work andsport. The Ministry was created in 1951 as the "Ministry of Social Affairs and Health" and had several name changes before it became the "Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport" in 1994. The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, currentlyJan Anthonie Bruijn (VVD), assisted by two state secretaries, currentlyJudith Tielen (VVD) andNicky Pouw-Verweij (NSC).
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| Politics of the Netherlands |
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The ministry is currently headed by a Cabinet Minister and twoState secretaries. The ministry's main office is located in the centre ofThe Hague. The civil service is headed by a secretary general and a deputy secretary general, who head a system of three directorates general:
The ministry is also responsible for several autonomous agencies, most prominently:
There had been a ministry of Social Work since 1952. In 1965, it was also given responsibility for Culture and Recreation, and it was named Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Work. Between 1951 and 1973 there had been a Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Care. In 1973 a separate Ministry of Health and the Environment was formed. In 1982 these two ministries merged to form the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Sports. Responsibilities concerning the environment and nature management were given to the newly reorganizedMinistry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment andAgriculture, Nature and Fisheries.[2] The ministry built a new headquarters in 2003 designed by the architect andDriehaus Prize winnerMichael Graves. In 1996 the responsibility for culture was transferred to the newly reorganizedMinistry of Education, Science and Culture.
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