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Children's health in Barcelona

The Catalan system looks after children well and resembles the French system more than the British NHS: a dedicated paediatrician up to age 15 at the local health centre, one health card per person, no upfront costs. The differences: everything goes through the CAP, 061 before emergencies, and a broader vaccination schedule. Here is how it works, with verified addresses and the official list of French-speaking practitioners.

Verified on 30 October 2026

How CatSalut works

A tax-funded public system run by Catalonia: social security registration opens the rights, the health card embodies them, and the primary care centre (CAP) is the front door. Private care, very widespread, is used to go faster.

Good to know

  • When an employer hires you and registers you with social security, you are entitled to public healthcare for you and your dependants; each person then applies for their individual health card (TSI), a personal document that gives access to CatSalut centres and services. If you are not registered, you first apply for recognition of entitlement, then for the card. Source
  • CatSalut assigns every resident a primary care team according to their address, based in a CAP: family doctors for ages 15 and over, paediatricians for babies and children up to 15, nurses, preventive dentistry and social work. You may choose a different doctor, paediatrician or nurse from the one assigned, in the same centre or elsewhere. Source
  • No upfront payment and no reimbursement: public consultations, emergencies and hospital care are free. Only prescribed medicines carry a contribution, proportional to income (40 to 60% of the price for working people, a capped 10% for pensioners), and a capped 10% for reduced-contribution medicines. Source
  • Many families take out private insurance (mútua) for direct access to specialists, short waits and dedicated clinics; most only cover their own networks of professionals. Keep your TSI even with insurance: only a public system doctor can sign you off work. Source
  • Barcelona has around sixty hospitals, a dozen of them public; some private clinics also belong to the public-use network. The big public hospitals are the Clínic, Hospital del Mar, Sant Pau and Vall d'Hebron, plus Sant Joan de Déu for children and mothers. Source
  • The health card has a new design but older models remain valid; a digital version exists in the La Meva Salut personal space (site and app), where you also find your appointments and documents. To change your details, go through your CAP or call 061. Source

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Health card, CAP and paediatrician

First health step, before anyone is ill: get the health card for each family member and know your CAP. You are assigned a paediatrician there, and they will follow your children until they turn 15.

Good to know

  • The order: empadronamiento, Social Security number, then the TSI application. The card is individual and every family member must have their own, whatever their age; without social security registration, you need private insurance covering you during your stay. Source
  • Your CAP is the one for your padró address; the 'Quin CAP correspon a una adreça' tool tells you which. On registering, you are assigned a family doctor and, if you have children, a paediatrician; doctors work in rotas and you pick the timetable that suits you. Source
  • The CAP paediatrician is responsible for babies and children up to 15: diagnosis and treatment, periodic growth and development checks, vaccines, home visits if needed. At 15, the teenager moves to the family doctor. Source
  • Bring the French health record to the first appointment: the paediatrician records the vaccines already given and adapts the Catalan schedule; checks and vaccinations done here are then viewable in La Meva Salut, and you are given a Catalan vaccination card.
  • For a newborn: ask the hospital for the birth certificate and the baby's record, register them on the padró and with social security as a dependant, then apply for their own TSI; hospital staff guide you through these steps. Source
  • CAP appointments are booked by phone, on citasalut.gencat.cat or in the La Meva Salut app; 061 can also schedule a visit. For a non-urgent health question, the same 061 answers by phone or chat. Source

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Emergencies and children's hospitals

Two numbers and one reflex: 112 for life-threatening emergencies, 061 for everything else, day and night, before setting off. Neighbourhood CUAPs are open 24/7, and two big public hospitals have a separate children's emergency department, Sant Joan de Déu first among them.

Good to know

  • 112 is Catalonia's single emergency number: free, 24/7, 365 days a year, with assistance in 50 languages; it triggers the Mossos, the SEM (ambulances), the fire brigade or civil protection. Source
  • 061 Salut Respon is CatSalut's non-life-threatening urgent care line, available 24/7, 365 days a year: doctors and nurses assess symptoms, tell you where to go and can send a doctor to your home or an ambulance. The Health Department recommends calling 061 before going to a centre, to avoid needless waits and journeys. Source
  • When your CAP is closed, the CUAPs (primary care emergency centres) are open 24/7 all year, with blood tests and X-rays in most of them: they handle low and medium-severity emergencies faster than hospital, where life-threatening cases always come first. Triage is in five severity levels, never by order of arrival. Source
  • Sant Joan de Déu, the paediatric reference hospital, treats more than 170,000 emergencies a year: do not come for a non-urgent problem, two accompanying adults at most, and bring the child's health card. Its daytime city branch, SJD Numància, takes emergencies from 8:00 to 22:00 (admission until 21:00). Source

Addresses

  • Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona

    Emergency

    Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat

    The children's and mothers' hospital, just outside Barcelona on the Pedralbes side: 24/7 paediatric emergencies, all specialties, five-level triage; daytime branch SJD Numància at Carrer de Numància 9-13, open 8:00 to 22:00. Reached via the Diagonal (tram T1-T3, buses); public-network hospital, private patients too.

    Website Source

  • Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Hospital Infantil

    Emergency

    Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 119-129, 08035 Barcelona

    The paediatric emergency department of the Hospital Infantil, within the big public hospital campus in the north of the city: every specialty, from basic care to the most complex paediatric cases, neonatology and surgery. Metro L3 and L5 Vall d'Hebron.

    Website Source

  • Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, urgences pédiatriques

    Emergency

    Carrer de Sant Quintí, 87 (entrée urgences 24h), 08026 Barcelona

    Sant Pau's paediatrics department has its own children's emergencies (block E, level -1), with neonatology and paediatric intensive care on site, in the modernist hospital serving the northern Eixample and Guinardó. Emergency entrance open 24/7.

    Website Source

  • HM Nens

    Hospital

    Carrer del Consell de Cent, 437, 08009 Barcelona

    The private children's hospital of the Eixample, heir to the Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, caring for the city's children for over 130 years: 24/7 emergencies, consultations in every paediatric specialty, paediatric dentistry; access through the main private insurers.

    Website Source

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French-speaking doctors, dentists and therapists

The French embassy and consulates in Spain publish a list of French-speaking professionals, with a medical and allied-health section for Catalonia, updated on 27 October 2026. It is provided for information only, without engaging the administration's responsibility, and the choice of practitioner is free. We list the Barcelona practitioners most useful to families, complemented by the public list of lepetitjournal.com Barcelone. Most work privately.

Good to know

  • The official list for Catalonia covers some forty practitioners: GPs and family doctors, dentists and orthodontists, gynaecologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, a paediatric neurologist, a psychiatrist, physiotherapists, speech therapists, a podiatrist, a midwife and a psychomotor therapist; the administration vouches for neither the quality of care nor the fees. Source
  • Many of these practitioners consult at the Turó Park Medical Center, a French-speaking medical and dental clinic in Sant Gervasi (Carrer de Francesc Pérez Cabrero 19-21), a ten-minute walk from Turó Park; others at the Centro Médico Teknon or in practices in the Eixample and Gràcia. Source
  • These consultations are paid, sometimes covered by private insurance that has the practitioner in its network. For public care, ask your CAP whether a paediatrician or doctor speaks French: it is common in Barcelona, where the French community is one of the oldest in Spain.
  • lepetitjournal.com Barcelone keeps a list of French-speaking doctors by specialty, updated in March 2026, broader than the consulate's (psychologists, speech therapists, osteopaths); Équinox regularly publishes its own. Professionals appear there through the newsroom's survey or on request. Source

Addresses

  • Dr Marie Borgne-Renié

    General practitioner

    Sant Gervasi, Carrer de Francesc Pérez Cabrero 19-21, 08021

    General and family practitioner, women's health, Turó Park Medical Center.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Irene Clavijo

    General practitioner

    Sant Gervasi, Carrer de Francesc Pérez Cabrero 19-21, 08021

    General and family practitioner, also an osteopath, Turó Park Medical Center.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Laetitia Ricaud

    General practitioner

    Les Corts, Avinguda Diagonal 489, 08029

    General and family medicine, GMA Clinic, on the Diagonal between Les Corts and the Eixample.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Ilham Abdelrahim

    General practitioner

    Sant Gervasi - Gràcia, Carrer de Puig-reig 10, 08006

    Family doctor, women's health, Healthcare Barcelona practice.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Philippe Emanuely

    Paediatrician

    Visites à domicile dans Barcelone et jusqu'à 40 km

    General medicine and paediatrics, ultrasound and medical ophthalmology; 24/7 home visits ('Médico del Domingo'), the French families' reflex when a child falls ill at the weekend.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Website Source

  • Dr Christophe Allard

    Paediatrician

    Eixample, Carrer d'Aribau 18, 08011

    General medicine and paediatrics, practice in the left Eixample, listed among lepetitjournal.com's French-speaking doctors.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Source

  • Dr Berta Furió

    Dentist

    Sant Gervasi, Carrer de Francesc Pérez Cabrero 19-21, 08021

    Paediatric and adult dentist, Turó Park Medical dental clinic.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Madeleine Smit

    Dentist

    Sant Gervasi, Carrer de Francesc Pérez Cabrero 19-21, 08021

    Children's and adult orthodontist, specialist in invisible orthodontics, Turó Park Medical.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Mireia Ciria Martí

    Dentist

    Gràcia, Carrer de Benet Mercadé 5, 08012

    Dentist, neighbourhood practice in Gràcia.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, CA

    Source

  • Dr Maria Angela Mayoral Trias

    Dentist

    Eixample, Avinguda Diagonal 463 bis, 08036

    Orthodontics, Clínica Mayoral, on the Diagonal.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, CA

    Website Source

  • Marcel Ventura Ardanuy

    Psychologist

    Eixample, Carrer del Bruc 41, 08010

    Psychiatrist for adolescents and adults; working languages French, Spanish and Catalan.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, CA

    Source

  • Centre Pensées

    Psychologist

    Sant Antoni, Ronda de Sant Antoni 86, 08001

    French-speaking multidisciplinary centre: psychologists, psychotherapists and psychomotor therapists for children, adolescents and adults.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Website Source

  • Cristina Ribera-Legendre

    Psychologist

    Eixample gauche, Carrer d'Entença 37, 08015

    Psychologist specialising in early childhood and children (bereavement, adoption).

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Source

  • Dr Hari Bhathal

    Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Centro Médico Teknon, Carrer de la Marquesa de Vilallonga 12, 08017

    Adult and paediatric neurologist, Neurocenter Barcelona at the Centro Médico Teknon.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

  • Claire-Lise Goasguen

    Eixample (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 646, 08007) et Pedralbes (Carrer de Manila 39, 08034)

    Speech and language therapist: assessments and therapy in French, invaluable for bilingual children, with a practice near the Lycée français.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Source

  • Sophia Skalli

    Déplacements à domicile dans Barcelone

    State-registered psychomotor therapist, specialist in the psychomotor development of premature newborns and early childhood (ages 0 to 6).

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Source

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Pregnancy and maternity units

In the public system, pregnancy is followed by the midwife (llevadora) of the ASSIR unit your CAP refers you to, and the hospital where you give birth depends on your address. Spanish birth leave is among the most generous in Europe for both parents.

Good to know

  • With your TSI, the CAP refers you to an ASSIR unit (sexual and reproductive health): midwives, obstetricians, gynaecologists, psychologists and paediatricians provide free antenatal check-ups, scans, birth preparation, groups for fathers-to-be and postnatal follow-up. You write your birth plan with the ASSIR midwife. Source
  • The public hospital where you give birth depends on your address and your CAP: Vall d'Hebron, Hospital del Mar, Sant Pau, Hospital Clínic (Maternitat site) or Sant Joan de Déu; all have a neonatal intensive care unit. Privately, check the insurer's maternity waiting period, and know that caesareans are statistically more frequent there. Source
  • Birth and childcare leave (permiso por nacimiento y cuidado de menor) is 19 weeks per parent, paid at 100% of the contribution base by the INSS: 17 weeks in the child's first year and 2 more weeks to take before they turn 8; 32 weeks plus 4 for single-parent families. It is an individual right, non-transferable between parents, which can be split. Source
  • Before leaving the maternity unit, ask for the birth certificate and the baby's record; registration with the Spanish Civil Registry can be done from the public hospital, and the French transcription is then requested at the consulate. Next come the padró and social security, to obtain the baby's health card. Source

Addresses

  • Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Àrea de la Dona

    Maternity

    Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat

    Over 3,500 births a year, within BCNatal together with the Clínic; natural birth possible for low-risk pregnancies, neonatologists present 24/7 in the delivery room, single rooms with a sofa bed, weekly information sessions with a midwife.

    Website Source

  • Hospital Clínic, seu Maternitat

    Maternity

    Carrer de Sabino de Arana, 1, 08028 Barcelona (Les Corts)

    The Clínic's maternity unit, in the old Maternitat complex in Les Corts: delivery rooms and theatres open 24/7, 24/7 obstetric emergencies, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology department with intensive care and a family space; Sant Joan de Déu's partner within BCNatal.

    Website Source

  • Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Hospital de la Dona

    Maternity

    Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 119-129, 08035 Barcelona

    Six single delivery rooms, each with its own bathroom and shower for hydrotherapy; birthing ball, birthing chair, local heat, music; the midwife is your reference from start to finish, and high-risk pregnancies are handled without transfer, the Hospital Infantil being on the same campus.

    Website Source

  • Hospital del Mar, Néixer al Mar

    Maternity

    Passeig Marítim, 25-29, 08003 Barcelona

    The 'respected' maternity facing the sea, for the Barceloneta, Ciutat Vella and Poblenou: low-intervention birth if you wish, low-dose epidural, a bath for dilation, welcoming rooms to experience the birth as a family, a neonatology unit and postnatal groups with ASSIR Litoral.

    Website Source

  • Hospital Universitari Dexeus

    Maternity

    Les Corts, près de la Diagonal

    The large private clinic historically associated with obstetrics and gynaecology in Barcelona, accessed through private insurance; check that your policy covers maternity and its waiting periods.

    Website Source

  • Mahault Behaghel, sage-femme

    Eixample, Centre Marenostrum, Carrer de Fontanella 16, 08010

    Independent French-speaking midwife on the consulate's list: birth preparation, follow-up and questions in French, alongside public care.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES

    Source

  • Dr Cristina Gómez

    Sant Gervasi, Carrer de Francesc Pérez Cabrero 19-21, 08021

    French-speaking obstetrician-gynaecologist on the consulate's list, Turó Park Medical Center.

    Languages spoken : FR, ES, EN

    Website Source

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Pharmacies and medicines

Green-cross farmàcies are on every corner and the pharmacist gladly advises on minor ailments. Doliprane is called Apiretal, Advil is Dalsy, and your French prescription is in principle valid, as long as a Spanish pharmacist can read it.

Good to know

  • For a minor health problem, go to the pharmacy: the pharmacist advises on non-prescription medicines. Duty pharmacies are open throughout the night and on public holidays; 061 tells you the nearest one, and every pharmacy displays which one takes over. Source
  • Equivalents: Apiretal (paracetamol drops) for children's Doliprane, Dalsy (ibuprofen syrup) for Advil, 'suero fisiológico' for saline, 'Rhinomer' or 'agua de mar' for nasal rinsing. Antibiotics and many syrups are prescription-only.
  • A prescription written by a French doctor is valid throughout the EU if it includes at least: the patient's name and date of birth, the date, the prescriber's name, qualification, contact details and signature, the medicine's common name, form, quantity and dosage. The pharmacist applies Spanish rules and the medicine may not exist under the same name: ask for a prescription in generic (INN) terms. Source
  • Publicly prescribed medicines are collected with the health card at any pharmacy in Catalonia: you pay the uncovered share according to your coverage level; reduced-contribution medicines, marked with a special seal, cost only 10% of the price with a cap per box. Source
  • Pharmacies also sell formula milk, nappies and parapharmacy, often cheaper at the supermarket; on the other hand, paracetamol and ibuprofen are only found in pharmacies, never in supermarkets.

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Vaccines: how the schedule differs from France

The Catalan schedule is broader than the French one: it adds chickenpox, hepatitis A and flu for all little ones, and nothing in it is compulsory. Vaccines are given free at the CAP, by the paediatric nurse.

Good to know

  • The Catalan vaccination and immunisation schedule in force is the 2025 one: it protects against 18 micro-organisms with 17 vaccines, all free and recommended, none compulsory. New in 2025: rotavirus for all babies born since 1 January 2025, immunisation against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the first season, single-dose HPV at 11 to 12 for girls and boys. Source
  • Baby: hexavalent and pneumococcal at 2, 4 and 11 months; MenB at 2, 4 and 12 months; MenC at 4 months; rotavirus from 2 months; RSV in the first epidemic season. At 12 months: MenACWY, measles-mumps-rubella, and flu every autumn from 6 to 59 months. Source
  • Then: chickenpox and hepatitis A at 15 months; second MMR and chickenpox doses at 3; diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-polio booster and second hepatitis A dose at 6; at 11 to 12, dTpa, MenACWY and HPV, with chickenpox and hepatitis A catch-up for non-immunised children. Source
  • Two differences that surprise French parents: chickenpox (15 months and 3 years) and hepatitis A (15 months and 6 years) are part of the Catalan schedule, not the French one; and flu is offered every autumn to all children from 6 months to 5 years, then to pregnant women. Source
  • In Spain, no vaccine is required for school or nursery; in France, eleven vaccinations are compulsory for young children. Bring the French health record to the CAP paediatrician: they record the doses received and organise catch-up, notably chickenpox and hepatitis A if you wish to follow the local schedule. Source
  • Schedule vaccines are given at the CAP by the paediatric nurse during check-ups; appointments are booked by phone, on citasalut.gencat.cat or via La Meva Salut, and the autumn (flu) campaign opens every October. Source

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These landmarks do not replace the advice of a health professional. In an emergency, call the local emergency number shown above.

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Barcelona will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Ambassade et consulats de France en Espagne, professionnels francophones (liste de notoriété)
  2. 2 CatSalut, attention primaire et communautaire
  3. 3 CatSalut, attention continue et urgente (061, CUAP)
  4. 4 Ajuntament de Barcelona, International Welcome, le système de santé public
  5. 5 Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, urgences
  6. 6 Canal Salut, calendrier de vaccinations de Catalogne
  7. 7 La Moncloa, congé de naissance élargi à 19 semaines
  8. 8 BOE, Real Decreto-ley 16/2012 (participation aux médicaments)

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