The COVID-19 pandemic caused huge backlogs and delays in healthcare, further worsening the situation of already vulnerable groups (e.g. migrants, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, homeless people). The interruption of services that were not considered essential (e.g. sexual and reproductive healthcare, rehabilitation, addiction treatment) took a tremendous toll on marginalised groups and communities. The lack of data on the health and wellbeing of people living outside the healthcare system is likely to result in a gross underestimation of the scale of the problem of unmet medical needs during and following the pandemic. In order to address systemic inequalities in healthcare, it is imperative to identify and recognise the categories of patients whose medical needs are most likely to be put on hold in times of crisis.