In Spain every child from birth to 14 (and in some regions 15) sees a dedicated pediatra – not a GP – for routine and acute care. Here is how the system works, how to find an English-speaking paediatrician, and what cover gets your family the fastest access.
Get a Family Health Insurance Quote WhatsApp UsIn the UK, Ireland, the US and Australia, your family GP usually treats children alongside adults until adolescence. In Spain it is structured differently: every child registered with the public Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS) is automatically assigned a dedicated pediatra at their centro de salud, who provides all primary care – from sniffles to routine check-ups – until age 14 (and 15 in some regions including Catalonia, Navarra and parts of the Basque Country).
The pediatra is a four-year MIR-trained specialist in Pediatría y Áreas Específicas, a discipline overseen by the Asociación Española de Pediatría (AEP). They know your child's growth curves, vaccination history and developmental milestones in detail, and run the standardised programa del niño sano followed across all 17 autonomous communities.
For expat families, the question is rarely whether to use the public or private pediatra – it is how to get faster access, English-language consultations and reliable out-of-hours cover. This guide walks through the public system, private alternatives via the Sanitas and Caser cuadros médicos, vaccination schedules and after-hours urgencias pediátricas.
From the public-system pediatra to the Caser and Sanitas cuadros médicos, vaccine schedules and overnight urgencias, here is everything an expat family needs to know about paediatric care in Spain.
How your assigned SNS pediatra works at the centro de salud – and where private cover via Caser or Sanitas closes the gaps on waiting times and language.
Spain's national vaccination schedule published by the Ministerio de Sanidad – what is given, when, and how it lines up with UK, Irish and US schedules.
The standardised well-child programme: 11 scheduled visits from the first week of life through to age 14, what's checked at each one and how to book in private.
How to filter the Sanitas and Caser cuadros médicos by idioma and find bilingual pediatras in your province.
Out-of-hours and weekend care via the Sociedad Española de Urgencias de Pediatría (SEUP) hospitals – and the 24/7 video paediatrics options in private policies.
How a Spanish pediatra handles asthma, eczema, food allergies, ADHD and speech delays – and the path to a private specialist when needed.
The Sistema Nacional de Salud guarantees every resident child a dedicated paediatrician from birth to age 14 (15 in some regions). Here is what that looks like in practice.
Private cover is the standard route for expat families wanting English-language paediatric consultations, shorter waiting times and 24/7 urgencias access. Here is how the two insurers we work with deliver paediatric care.
The Sanitas cuadro médico includes its own Sanitas Milénium and Sanitas La Moraleja paediatric clinics, plus an extensive concertado network. The directory filter lets you select "pediatría" as the specialty and "inglés" as the idioma.
Caser partners with major private hospital groups including HM Hospitales, Vithas and Quirónsalud. Its cuadro médico is strong on the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and Mallorca, with dedicated paediatric clinics in each.
Both Sanitas (via Blua) and Caser (via Caser Salud Digital) offer round-the-clock paediatric video consultations – useful for evening fevers, rashes and feeding questions when a physical visit can wait until morning.
Sanitas and Caser maternity policies include the neonatal pediatra exam, hearing screening, metabolic heel-prick (prueba del talón) and the first month of paediatric consultations for the newborn at no extra cost.
From a private pediatra, referrals to paediatric cardiology, allergology, neurology, dermatology and endocrinology stay inside the network. No NHS-style waiting list – most second opinions are booked within a week.
Some optional vaccines – rotavirus in some regions, meningococcal B in babies, HPV in boys at younger ages – sit outside the free public calendar. Private cover often makes the cost predictable and the timing flexible.
Spain follows a national vaccination schedule coordinated by the Ministerio de Sanidad and aligned with World Health Organisation (OMS) guidance. Regional autonomous communities can add jabs, but never remove the national core.
These are the avoidable errors we see most often when international families try to set up paediatric care in Spain. Skip them and you will save weeks of frustration and a lot of unnecessary urgencias trips.
Choosing the right family policy is the single biggest decision in your child's access to fast, English-language paediatric care. Here is why expat families across Spain choose us for their health cover.
We are a fully registered Spanish insurance brokerage under the DGSFP – the same regulator that oversees every legal insurer in Spain.
Every conversation, every policy document and every claim is handled in clear English by a real human, not a chatbot.
Sick child on a Sunday, missed vaccine appointment, urgent specialist referral? Our team is reachable seven days a week including bank holidays.
We compare quotes from Sanitas and Caser to match your postcode to the cuadro médico with the right English-speaking pediatra.
From maternity cover through neonatal exam to the first calendario vacunal jabs, our team understands every step of the Spanish paediatric pathway.
If you ever need to claim, change pediatra or expand cover for a new baby, we deal with the insurer in Spanish on your behalf.
The most common questions expat parents ask us about paediatric care in Spain.
Choosing the right family health policy is the single biggest factor in how quickly you access English-speaking paediatric care. Make sure your wider cover works just as hard.
More step-by-step guides to help you navigate the Spanish health system with confidence.
How to filter cuadros médicos, use Doctoralia and verify colegiado numbers for adult primary care.
Using cita previa to book at your centro de salud, the new Mi Carpeta Ciudadana apps and what to bring.
The public health card application process for the whole family, regional variations and what cover it actually gives you.
How public-system catchment areas work, registering children with your assigned clinic and changing pediatra if needed.
Get a tailored family health insurance quote in minutes from our DGSFP-registered, English-speaking team – we match your postcode to the cuadro médico with the right pediatra for your children.
Get My Family Health Quote Contact Us WhatsApp
