[Tasks and experiences of the Federal Government Commissioner for Patients' Affairs].

On the basis of Section 140h of Social Code Book V (German abbreviation: SGB V), which had been newly included in 2004, the Federal Government Commissioner for Patients' Affairs speaks out in favor of a meticulous implementation of patients' right to education, information and joint decision-making in all spheres of the health care system, whenever the commissioner attends the respective panels or events, and also in public. Currently, the commissioner is member of a parliamentary working group which is charged with the elaboration of the contents of a law relating to patients' rights, and experts and patients' organizations are involved in this procedure as well. For this purpose, but also with regard to other key panels of the health care system, self-help organizations are important partners for collaboration, due to their commitment, their experiences and the inspirations they provide. Therefore, they have been strengthened in essential aspects by the policy of the Federal Government over the past few years.