Swiss study reveals stark cantonal gaps in paediatric care

A child’s access to a paediatrician can depend heavily on the canton where the family lives. A University of Bern study has mapped a national shortage that varies sharply across Switzerland. The country has about one paediatrician for every 1,600 children, according to the university’s findings, yet the distribution is far from even.

Geneva records roughly one full-time paediatric post for every 750 children. In Appenzell Outer Rhodes, the ratio rises to about 4,750 children per post. Obwalden also faces a thin staffing level, with approximately 4,150 children per full-time post. These figures describe the number of children assigned to full-time equivalent capacity, rather than simply counting doctors on a register.

The study gives a clearer picture of why some families struggle to secure appointments. A shortage of available capacity can lengthen waits, narrow the choice of practice and push parents towards emergency services for problems that community paediatricians would normally handle. The findings were published in Swiss Medical Weekly and reported by Keystone-SDA on September 1, 2026.

Geneva’s staffing ratio is more than six times better than the figure reported for Appenzell Outer Rhodes. The comparison exposes the scale of Switzerland’s regional divide. Geneva has one full-time post for about 750 children, while Appenzell Outer Rhodes has one for roughly 4,750. Obwalden sits at around 4,150 children per post.

Cantonal differences matter because paediatric care is organised through local practices, clinics and health systems. Families in densely served areas may have more options when a child needs a routine examination, vaccination or follow-up appointment. In places with fewer posts, a small number of absences or reduced schedules can have a larger effect on access.

The study does not present a single national experience of shortage. Its figures show that the pressure is concentrated unevenly, with rural and smaller cantons facing particularly demanding staffing conditions. The national average of 1,600 children per paediatrician therefore conceals wide variations in the capacity available to individual communities. For parents, the practical question remains local: which practice can take a child, and how soon?

Part-time work accounts for 87% of the workforce pattern identified by the study. The University of Bern researchers surveyed practising members of the Swiss Paediatric Society to examine why the supply of care falls short in parts of the country. The survey points to several pressures operating at the same time.

Many paediatricians work part time, reducing the number of full-time equivalent posts available even when doctors remain active in practices. The study also identified a heavy administrative burden. Paperwork, coordination and other non-clinical tasks absorb time that could otherwise support consultations or practice development.

The researchers further cited rising expectations from parents. Paediatricians are handling more demands around appointments, information and reassurance, while maintaining responsibility for diagnosis and treatment. Those pressures can make general paediatrics less attractive as a long-term career choice and can limit the number of hours doctors are able or willing to work.

The survey offers a workforce explanation for the canton-by-canton figures. A headcount of practising doctors does not fully measure the care available to children. Working hours, administrative duties and the structure of practices all shape the number of appointments that families can actually obtain.

Remuneration helps determine where paediatricians practise. The University of Bern study found a higher density of paediatricians in cantons where medical services are better remunerated. That link adds a financial dimension to the geographic divide, alongside the workforce pressures identified in the survey.

Cantons with stronger payment conditions may be better placed to attract doctors, sustain practices and support the staff needed to run them. Cantons with lower remuneration can face greater difficulty building equivalent capacity, especially when doctors already contend with part-time schedules and substantial administrative work. The study does not prescribe a single funding model, but it identifies remuneration as a factor associated with paediatrician density.

The findings place responsibility across Switzerland’s health system. Cantonal authorities, professional organisations and insurers all influence the conditions in which paediatric practices operate. Any response will need reliable staffing data that distinguishes doctors from full-time equivalent posts and recognises the needs of smaller communities.

For families, the immediate impact is measured in access. A national average can describe the country, yet it cannot tell parents in Appenzell Outer Rhodes or Obwalden how quickly their child will be seen. The study makes those local differences visible and gives policymakers a basis for targeting support.

Switzerland’s next response must measure care capacity where children live. The study provides a national warning and a cantonal map of pressure, but it does not claim that every community faces the same problem. Geneva’s ratio shows what comparatively strong coverage looks like in the study’s data. Appenzell Outer Rhodes and Obwalden show how quickly access can thin out.

The findings point towards several practical areas for action: improving remuneration where staffing is weakest, reducing administrative work and making paediatric practice compatible with the working patterns of today’s doctors. The study’s 87% part-time rate means workforce planning must focus on available clinical time, not only the number of registered professionals.

The survey was conducted among practising members of the Swiss Paediatric Society and published in Swiss Medical Weekly. It identifies the pressures behind the shortage, while the regional ratios show where those pressures are most visible. Further policy decisions will determine whether the gap narrows or remains embedded in the cantonal structure of Swiss healthcare.

For now, the figures leave a precise record of unequal access: 750 children per full-time post in Geneva, compared with 4,750 in Appenzell Outer Rhodes. That difference is the starting point for a more targeted debate about paediatric care.