Zürich's Free Healthcare for Undocumented Migrants to Go Ahead After Referendum Fails
A bid by the Young SVP to block Zürich's free healthcare programme for undocumented migrants has fallen short, clearing the way for the city to make the scheme permanent.
The youth wing of the Swiss People's Party submitted 2,049 signatures in its referendum attempt, but only 1,861 were found to be valid — falling short of the 2,000 needed to force a public vote. The city confirmed the outcome on Wednesday.
From Pilot to Permanent
Between 11,000 and 14,000 people living in Zürich have no health insurance, most of them sans-papiers, with incomes typically below the subsistence level. The city has been covering their basic medical costs since 2022 under a pilot programme. In January, the city parliament voted 86 to 33 to convert the pilot into a permanent service, budgeting CHF 1.9 million annually. The expanded programme will add psychiatric crisis care, specialist hospital treatment, and services for vulnerable groups including sex workers.
The Debate
Supporters argued the programme is both humane and economical. SP councillor Nadina Diday argued that the scheme actually saves money, since untreated patients eventually end up in emergency care at far greater cost — and that it is ultimately a matter of human dignity.
Critics disagreed. The SVP warned that the scheme amounts to a parallel healthcare system that may conflict with federal law, while FDP councillor Deborah Wettstein questioned whether the city should be plugging gaps that are the responsibility of the canton and federal government. The Young SVP argued that offering free care to people without legal residence status puts them ahead of ordinary Swiss residents who pay rising health insurance premiums — and that the programme would act as a magnet drawing more undocumented migrants to Zürich.
With the referendum off the table, the programme is set to run indefinitely from July 2026, making Zürich one of the first German-speaking Swiss cities to take this step.
