Düsseldorf drastically cuts aid for undocumented refugees

The city of Düsseldorf is cutting funds for STAY! Medinetz in the 2026 budget – a service that organizes medical assistance for people without health insurance and without secure residency status. The council discussed the budget on March 19, 2026, and adopted it in the same session; the city subsequently put the budget volume at around 4.4 billion euros.

What exactly was cut

STAY! was founded in 2009. Initially, support was mainly based on volunteer work; since 2015, there has been a clearing office in Düsseldorf and a city-supported fund for medical treatments, which professionalized the work and made it more predictable.

So far, according to information from the project context, two major items have been in focus: 120,000 euros for treatments, medications, and operations, as well as another 95,000 euros for staff at the clearing office and overhead costs.

In the 2026 budget, these funds are reduced to a total of 160,000 euros. For an organization that organizes and pays for treatment capacities on a case-by-case basis, this is more than just a number: STAY! warns that they will probably have to turn people away much more often, and especially costly procedures can no longer be covered. The perspective for employees at the clearing office is also considered uncertain.

Why this service is so central for those affected

STAY! Medinetz and the clearing office are designed to provide low-threshold medical assistance when insurance coverage, benefit entitlements, or secure residency status are lacking. Assistance is provided in cases of acute health problems as well as referrals to doctors, clinics, and midwives; the clearing office coordinates cases where people would otherwise fail due to bureaucracy or funding issues.

A crucial point here is the fear many affected people have of official consequences. Under residency law, there are reporting obligations for public authorities to immigration offices (§ 87 AufenthG). In practice, this can make it even harder to visit facilities where data is collected or benefits are applied for – even when it is medically urgent. The clearing work is aimed precisely at this hurdle: those affected should be able to receive help without contact with medical care automatically becoming a risk.

STAY! describes the possible consequences of the cutbacks in everyday life with a current example: A patient with glaucoma needs surgery to avoid impending blindness; according to the initiative, a hospital will only perform the procedure if coverage of the costs is secured in advance. Such cases show the logic behind the fund: The medical indication is not in dispute, but rather the question of who pays – and whether a commitment can be organized in time at all.

Part of a larger austerity program – with a sharp conflict of objectives

The cut is in the context of a strained budget situation. The city points to the need for consolidation and the necessity of further measures to keep the budget within a less legally problematic framework in the future.

In this environment, representatives of the CDU-Green coalition fundamentally defend the austerity course; the coalition also said that the situation could become even more difficult in 2027 and further savings options are being examined.

STAY!, on the other hand, criticizes that the cut comes unexpectedly and without warning. Behind this lies a classic local political conflict of objectives: budget consolidation is often spread over many individual items, but specialized assistance is sensitive to cuts because it has hardly any "buffer." For STAY! Medinetz, a lower allocation means not only less counseling, but directly fewer treatments that can be financed – and thus a higher likelihood that illnesses will remain untreated longer or procedures will not take place for cost reasons.

With the adopted budget, the decision for 2026 has been made. However, the debate indicates that the pressure to save in Düsseldorf is likely to continue beyond this year – leaving open the question of whether and how the city will address a gap in care that, in case of doubt, determines health damage for those affected.