Düsseldorf drastically cuts aid for undocumented people – STAY! Medinetz warns of rejected patients

In Düsseldorf's 2026 budget, municipal support for STAY! Medinetz is set to decrease significantly. The initiative fears that this will make access to medical care even more difficult for people without health insurance and without secure residency status – a group that already often receives little reliable help in the regular system.

The city council will discuss the 2026 budget on March 19. For STAY!, cuts are planned in several components that have so far secured the service: the emergency fund for acute treatments as well as funds for clearing center staff and ongoing costs. Overall, according to current plans, the allocations are to drop from the most recent 215,000 euros to 160,000 euros – a decrease of about one third.

Which parts of the previous funding are reduced and by how much is crucial for the practical impact: Every euro that is cut from the emergency fund is immediately missing in concrete cases; every euro less for staff and infrastructure weakens the ability to clarify access to regular care in the first place.

How big the gap is – and where it arises

STAY! was founded in 2009 and supports people in Düsseldorf without health insurance with advice and the arrangement of medical help. What was mostly run on a voluntary basis in the early years received a more institutionalized structure from 2015 onwards: a clearing center was set up in Düsseldorf and an emergency fund was established to cover treatment costs when other avenues are blocked.

According to information from the initiative's environment, 120,000 euros most recently went to the emergency fund – that is, for treatments, medication, and operations. Another 95,000 euros were earmarked for the clearing center staff and overhead costs. This total amount is to be reduced to 160,000 euros in the 2026 budget.

STAY! warns: Patients could be turned away

The initiative makes clear what it expects as an immediate consequence: If less money is available in the emergency fund, more requests would have to be rejected and medical measures postponed more often or abandoned altogether. This becomes particularly visible where clinics require written cost coverage before planning interventions.

STAY! refers to a current case of a patient with glaucoma, where, from the initiative's perspective, an operation to prevent impending blindness is only possible if financing is secured in advance. Whether and how many similar cases can no longer be covered in the future depends, in STAY!'s view, directly on the size of the emergency fund.

According to the initiative, it is also unclear how stable the staff structure of the clearing center can remain under the reduced funds. The team criticizes that the planned reduction comes as a surprise and without warning – with consequences for planning security, case processing, and the reliability of the service.

Why a clearing center for undocumented people is more than just "advice"

The clearing center is aimed at people without papers and those without health insurance. Its core is not just arranging a doctor's appointment, but organizing access that protects those affected from additional risks. For many, there is concern that personal data could be passed on to authorities during doctor and hospital visits. This fear can lead to symptoms being ignored until an illness becomes acute or even life-threatening.

The legal background includes Section 87 of the Residence Act, which regulates the reporting obligations of public authorities to the immigration office. For those affected, this is not abstract: Even the idea of becoming visible to institutions can be discouraging. An anonymously operating clearing center is intended to lower exactly this barrier so that medical help is sought at all – before treatable illnesses become emergencies.

According to accounts from STAY!'s environment, many affected people have lived in Düsseldorf for years, with housing, work, and social environment, but without social and legal security. The problem becomes particularly clear with chronic illnesses, acute pain, or during pregnancy: Those without regular access to the health system bear the risk of underprovision – and end up in the system only when it becomes expensive and dangerous. From the initiative's perspective, the cut therefore affects not just one provider, but a structure that has closed care gaps before they escalate.

Budget pressure as a political line – and as a harbinger for 2027

The cut at STAY! is part of broader savings in Düsseldorf. In the political debate, reference is made to the strained budget situation; at the same time, it is indicated that additional consolidation steps may be necessary in 2027. At a joint press conference by the CDU and Greens, it was pointed out that there are annual cuts and discussions. The coalition also noted that organizations could have prepared for possible changes in advance. At the same time, it was announced that the budget situation in 2027 could become even more difficult and further savings options would be examined.

This makes the question about STAY! a fundamental decision: Which social protection mechanisms are considered indispensable during a consolidation phase – and which are seen as negotiable "funding items"? With STAY!, the point of contention is particularly concrete because the service is directly linked to health protection and affects a target group that usually has hardly any alternative options.

Whether and to what extent the funds will actually be cut in the end will be decided by the city council with the 2026 budget. For STAY!, a lot is at stake: less money for treatments, less stability in the clearing center – and the risk that people in Düsseldorf will only receive medical help when it is actually already too late.