The Royal Decree of 9 November 1832 created a Ministry of Development, which included powers over "the field of health with the infirmaries, water and mineral baths" and "charitable institutions".

[11] Royal Decree 1558 of 4 July 1977[12] established the ministry in its current form, including responsibility for Social Security.

Royal Decree 2823/1981, restored it to full ministerial rank but this time without social security which remained within the Labour ministry.

With the victory of the People's Party in the general election of 1996, José Manuel Romay Beccaría was appointed Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs, a position he held throughout the 6th Legislature.

In the 7th Legislature Celia Villalobos became minister (2000–2002) and achieved notoriety by her handling mad cow disease.

Eight months before the end of the legislature, the scientific Bernat Soria assumed the office of Health Minister.

In the next legislature Soria was confirmed as Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs, and he was succeeded by Trinidad Jiménez in 2009 following a cabinet reshuffle.

In addition, in January 2014 the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition and the National Institute for Consumer Affairs merged giving rise to the new Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition.

After the 2016 cabinet reshuffle, Dolors Montserrat was appointed Minister of Health and one of his first measures was to raise the rank of the Director of the National Transplant Organization to Director-General in order to strengthen this institution.

Carcedo continued with the program established by Montón on fight against pseudosciences[18] and recovering the Observatory of Women's Health.