The Public Health Agency of Lower Saxony: services and organisational structure

The Public health agency of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, NLGA) is the central authority for infectious and non-infectious diseases. The main goal of the NLGA is the health promotion and protection of the citizens of Lower Saxony. The NLGA provides professional advice predominantly to communal health authorities / health offices.

The NLGA is a subordinate authority of the Ministry for Social Affairs, Health and Equal Opportunities of Lower Saxony. The legal basis is the Public Health Services Act of Lower Saxony. The NLGA is part of the public health services in Lower Saxony, together with the communal health authorities and health offices.

Services

• Microbiological, environmental medicine and water hygiene laboratory investigations, including hospital hygiene analyses.
• Evaluation of data, e.g. on the spread of infectious diseases, drinking water quality or school entrance examinations.
• Conception and realisation of advanced training courses for professional groups from within the health services.
• Consulting for public health services and medical facilities (e.g. hospitals) and professional groups from within the health services.
• Informing the public and the professional public with flyers, reports and the website www.nlga.niedersachsen.de

Organisational Structure

The NLGA, with locations in Hanover (head office) and Aurich (work focus water hygiene) is organized according to four departments:

1. Central Functions (Budget, Personnel Management and Administration, Information Technology, Organisation)
2. Microbiology, Infection Protection, Hospital Hygiene and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
3. Environmental Medicine, Hygiene and Epidemiology
4. Specialist Tasks for the Public Health Services (Issuing Health Reports, Notification Office of the Epidemiological Cancer Register)

and four administrative departments:

1. Quality Management
2. Centre for Health and Infection Protection
3. Publicity and Media Relations
4. Information Security Commissioner

Dr. Fabian Feil ist head of the NLGA since 2021.

Further information about the tasks, services and history of the NLGA you find in the leaflet ' NLGA: For the health of the citizens of Lower Saxony'