12/12/2025December 12, 2025Report says many in Germany lack access to medical care
Many people in Germany have had little or no access to medical care, according to a report released by the aid group Doctors of the World.
Christian Stegmüller, who heads the organization’s domestic programs, said Germany was failing to guarantee the right to medical care for everyone living in the country, pointing to a rising number of uninsured people and gaps in care for those with health insurance debt.
The report, published on Friday, is based on data from Doctors of the World clinics and mobile treatment units in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.
In those cities, 2,254 patients were treated and advised free of charge last year in 7,403 consultations, including 1,133 first-time patients.
The vast majority of patients, about 97%, were at risk of poverty, while 88% had no fixed residence and 26% were homeless.
Living on the streets or in shared shelters was linked to a higher incidence of illness, with respiratory diseases the most commonly diagnosed.
About 88% of patients were uninsured, while 9% had limited coverage, mainly because of unpaid insurance contributions or restrictions under asylum benefit rules.
People who fall behind on contributions for two months often receive only limited care, for example when their electronic health card is blocked.
German foreign medical worker program mired in bureaucracy
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video