How your region changes family healthcare

Key rules

• Who decides: Your autonomous community, not the national government, sets most day-to-day family health rules.
• Pediatric age: Public pediatricians usually see children up to age 14, but some regions extend this to 15 or 16.
• Your source: Use your own region's official health service website as your main source.
• Ceuta and Melilla: INGESA runs public healthcare there instead of a regional service.

Your region sets many of the rules

Health is run by each of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, not by one national office. Everyone shares a common set of basic services, but the details of how you use them depend on where you are registered. Always check your own region's official health service for the current rule.

What changes from region to region

• Vaccination calendar. The national calendar is agreed between regions, but timing and extra vaccines vary.
• Pediatric age. In most of Spain, public pediatricians see children up to age 14, after which a family doctor takes over. Some regions extend this to 15 or 16. Where pediatricians are in short supply, a younger child may be assigned to a family doctor.
• Screening programmes. Breast, cervical, colorectal and newborn metabolic screening are run by each region.
• Appointments and apps. Each region has its own portal or app for booking, usually linked to your health card.
• Extra services and waiting times. Regions decide which services they offer beyond the common basics, and their own waiting-time rules.
• Health card. Your region manages the card and decides which hospitals and services you use.

How to find your region's rules

1. Search for your region's health service website. Examples are the Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Sergas in Galicia, Osakidetza in the Basque Country and IB-Salut in the Balearic Islands.
2. Look for the region's health app or portal and set it up with your health card. App names change often, so download the one the regional site points to.
3. Ask your health centre, or the regional health service, up to what age your child sees a pediatrician there. The limit can also vary between local centres.
4. Check the regional vaccination calendar before you assume your child's schedule matches one from another region or country.

Ceuta and Melilla

Ceuta and Melilla are not run by a regional health service. Their health care is managed by INGESA, the national health management institute. Contact it for your family's healthcare there.

If you move between regions

Do not assume the rules, app or calendar carry over. Check the new region's official source and ask your new health centre how to transfer your records. The checklist and questions below cover the practical steps.

Checklist

• Find your region's official health service website and use it as your main source for family healthcare rules.

• Check your region's vaccination calendar for the timing of each vaccine and any extra vaccines your region offers.

• Look up which screening programmes your region runs, such as breast, cervical, colorectal and newborn metabolic screening.

• Find your region's official health app or portal and set it up to book appointments with your health card.

• Ask your regional health service about waiting-time rules and the extra services your region offers beyond the common national list.

• Contact INGESA, the national health management institute, for your family's healthcare if you live in Ceuta or Melilla.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child move to a family doctor before the usual pediatric age?

Yes, a child can be assigned to a family doctor earlier than the usual age where your area has a shortage of pediatricians. Ask your health centre whether this applies where you live. Your regional health service can confirm the exact age limit.

Who runs public healthcare in Ceuta and Melilla?

Public healthcare in Ceuta and Melilla is run by INGESA, the national health management institute, not by a regional health service. Contact INGESA or your local health centre for the rules that apply to your family.

Does every region have its own health app for booking appointments?

Yes, each region runs its own health portal and appointment app, usually combined with a health card service. Ask your health centre which app your region uses, and download it from your regional health service's official website.