[Is preventive medicine a government task?].

Health care of the citizens (sanitary police) belongs to the classical tasks of the public authorities ( = state). Primary prevention is a joint task of the state and the individual, but it only can be fully effective if the state participates in the organization and coordination. The most significant examples are immunization and prophylaxis of road accidents while preventive medical examinations can be left to the individual's own responsibility. It is no primary task of the state to carry them out and pay for them. The state creates the necessary basis for effective prevention by means of training and further education of the health personnel, continued evaluation of preventive measures, setting up statistical instruments, coordination of nationwide activities, active cooperation in publicity campaigns for preventive measures (mass media) and promoting research. Simultaneously, the citizen's own responsibility should be activated by persuasive measures. As little use as possible should be made of compulsory measures.