Berlin Medical Students Rally at Charité Against €109 Million Budget Cuts and Unpaid Practical Year

Under the slogan "Praktisches Jahr? Praktisch unbezahlbar!" (Practical year? Practically unaffordable!), medical students gathered outside Berlin's Charité hospital on Wednesday to protest against cuts to higher education funding and the lack of pay for students completing their mandatory practical year (Praktisches Jahr). The rally, which began at 11 a.m. outside the Bettenhochhaus in Mitte, was part of a nationwide action week organised by the German Medical Students' Association (bvmd).

At the heart of the protest are savings imposed by the Berlin Senate. According to the organisers, the Charité is set to receive around 109 million euros less between 2026 and 2028 than was originally agreed under contract. The cuts have already had a direct effect on capacity: the number of annual places for human medicine has been reduced from 600 to 540.

Students are also calling attention to the absence of any compensation for those in their practical year at the Charité, a situation they describe as financially unsustainable. The demonstrators are urging policymakers to reconsider these decisions and reverse course on both the funding reductions and the unpaid practical year.