Finding a pediatrician: easier in Ticino than in Graubünden

Switzerland does not have enough pediatricians. A study by the University of Bern, published in the journal Swiss Medical Weekly, puts the national average at one pediatrician (full-time equivalent) for every 1,600 children under 18.

That figure sits between two international benchmarks: below the guidelines used in the United States, which call for one pediatrician per 1,200 to 1,400 children, but above Germany, where the ratio is one per 2,127. For comparison, among adults Switzerland counts one general practitioner per 1,000 residents.

Behind the national average lie large differences between cantons. Geneva has one pediatrician per 750 children. In Appenzell Ausserrhoden, the ratio drops to one per 4,761, six times worse.

Ticino ahead, Graubünden behind

Ticino ranks fourth among the cantons, with one pediatrician per 1,136 children, better than the Swiss average. Graubünden sits at the opposite end: one pediatrician per 2,631 children, more than double Ticino's ratio. The difference also shows in how professionals perceive the situation: only 15% of pediatricians in Ticino report a shortage of colleagues, compared with 93% in Graubünden. Yet the daily workload is similar: in both cantons, pediatricians see about 28 patients a day.

Even where pediatricians are available, finding an open practice is not guaranteed. Nationally, only 31% of pediatric practices accept all new patients; 57% accept only some, typically newborns or siblings of children already followed; 12% accept none.

The study's authors point to three main causes: widespread part-time work, unfavorable financial incentives, and increasingly difficult working conditions. 87% of primary-care pediatricians work part-time, seeing an average of 22 children a day. Among the reasons cited for the declining appeal of primary care, respondents mentioned growing administrative burdens, rising expectations from parents, and the financial risk of running a private practice. It is no coincidence that the density of pediatricians is higher in cantons that pay better.

The shortage also affects hospitals and families. When it is hard to get a timely appointment, many parents turn to emergency rooms even for minor issues, adding strain on hospitals and extra cost and hassle for families.

According to Claudia Kuehni, of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern, who led the research, the study's findings now provide a basis for targeted health-policy measures in areas where pediatric care is especially scarce.

The study, conducted between September 2024 and February 2025, had a 60% participation rate among clinically active members of the Swiss Society of Pediatrics, totaling 1,155 responses.