Germany's complex public healthcare system is difficult for many outsiders to understand and competently access. Migrants and asylum seekers appear to suffer in particular to get the care they need. A new study found that many immigrants find it difficult to navigate the German healthcare system to find the right medical care they need.
A study published by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) says that asylum seekers and migrants have a hard time accessing public healthcare in the country, especially in their initial phase of adjusting to their new homes.
According to the study, about a quarter of refugees report receiving delayed treatment due to long wait times of up to 42 days in some cases.
About a fifth of the recently arrived refugees who took part in the study said they had chosen not to seek treatment due to the costs associated with it, especially when the costs were not covered.
Ten percent cited long travel distances to medical appointments as the main problem.
Over a third of all migrants confused about preventative measures
In addition to structural barriers, there are significant problems with navigating the German healthcare system, the study found.
About one-third of refugees reported experiencing difficulties in finding the appropriate medical care.
Many said that key information is also often difficult to understand, for example regarding medical emergencies or treatments.
When it comes to preventive care, over a third (37 percent) of all respondents reported that they find it difficult to understand information about preventive screenings.
That percentage rose to 39 percent when dealing with mental health issues.
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Longterm strain on Germany public healthcare system
Louise Biddle, one of the authors of the study, said that these hurdles could lead to more severe longterm consequences: "Refugees often require medical care, especially in the first few years after their arrival. If this care is delayed, their health deteriorates, leading to higher costs for the healthcare system in the long run," she explained in the research paper.
The document issued two recommendations to improve the experience of migrants and asylum seekers in the context of the German healthcare system:
Firstly, the authors of the report commend that communications regarding health services should be improved, including the provision of professional language translation and mediation as well as more information being provided in plain and simple language.
Secondly, they also stressed the importance of reducing structural barriers within the healthcare system, such as scheduling appointments and accessing services.
The survey was conducted in 2023 and 2024, examining the experiences of nearly 11,200 refugees and migrants who arrived in Germany between 2013 and 2022.
Irregular migrants fail to make sense of EU's healthcare maze
The study comes just weeks after the World Health Assembly published the results of another study, which highlighted that undocumented migrants across the EU also feel ill-equipped to navigate complex healthcare systems, including that of Germany.
In addition, many of these irregular migrants without official status told researchers that they avoid seeking medical advice due to worries that their illegal residency status might be found out.
The consequences range from untreated chronic illness to severe mental health crises and preventable emergencies, the research project found.
Access to basic healthcare is identified as a fundamental human right, which is supported by various international framework agreements, including the World Health Organisation's Global Action Plan and the UN's 2026 Progress Declaration of the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF).
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