“We wish this clinic did not have to exist”- how the Danish Red Cross is ensuring vital access to basic health for all

For many people living in Denmark without a Central Person Register (CPR) number, accessing even the most basic healthcare is a challenge. Whether they are migrants, asylum seekers, or EU citizens lacking the right insurance, too many people are effectively excluded from accessing the public health system.

After years of advocating for a policy change and a more inclusive system, the Danish Red Cross has decided to fill this void and ensure access to essential care for all, creating its first independent Health Clinic in Copenhagen in 2011. Three more clinics have been opened since then, in Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg.

Patients come to the clinics from all over the country. Some travel for hours from rural areas where access to healthcare is even more restricted. While patients have a great diversity of backgrounds, a significant proportion of them are EU citizens who are eligible for primary healthcare in Denmark only if they possess an EU health card issued by their country of origin.

Rikke Dalsted, Head of the Health Clinic for Migrants, explains, ”What we asked for when we started was for the State to offer basic healthcare for all, regardless of citizenship or documentation status. We wish this clinic did not have to exist and we still hope it will eventually become less necessary because everyone will be able to access the public system. But the current reality is that this work is vital, and the services we offer are also constantly growing.”

Indeed, the healthcare offered at the Red Cross Clinics has evolved over time as it quickly became apparent that patients required a broader range of care than general consultations. Midwives, physiotherapists and dentists have been brought on board to help respond to the demand. For example, the Copenhagen clinic is open three times a week with doctors available for consultations; midwives once a week and physiotherapists every other week. The clinics also have small bio-labs for blood and urine testing.

All the healthcare professionals are volunteers who give their time to provide free consultations to the clinics’ patients. The clinics, which operate entirely independently from the state, would not be able to function without the volunteer work of over 350 healthcare providers offering their time and expertise.

“Being a volunteer in the clinic gives me the feeling of making a difference for people who need our help and have nowhere else to go,” says Annette, a volunteer bio-analyst since 2017.

Thanks to the hard work of dedicated volunteers, the Danish Red Cross Health Care clinics offer all these essential services without any state funding  . 60% of the budget comes from Danish Red Cross local branches and 40% from a private funder, the OAK Foundation. With these limited resources, the clinics collaborate with hospitals, other NGOs, and private clinics to keep costs low. The choice to rely entirely on private funding, however precarious, allows them to become a safe space for people in vulnerable positions.

A recent example of this was the case of a pregnant Polish woman experiencing homelessness. Despite the insecurity of her situation, she was hesitant to engage with the formal healthcare system and only accepted to see a doctor if the meeting took place at the clinic because it was a space that she trusted. The confidence these clinics have gained within the community is also exemplified by the fact that people keep coming back to ask for support. Repeat patients make up more than 75% of the visits. In 2023 alone, the clinics offered nearly 2700 consultations.

As the political climate around migration becomes increasingly restrictive, the work of the Danish Red Cross Health Clinics is more important than ever. "This is not about migrants," Rikke Dalsted emphasises. "It is about healthcare. Everyone deserves access to basic medical services, regardless of where they come from or what papers they hold."

Since their creation, the Danish Red Cross Health Clinics’ mission has remained simple: offering care to those who need it most when no one else will. Thirteen years on, they stand as a testament to the power of solidarity.