Buying guide
How to choose a family doctor or paediatrician for your baby
The family doctor does the routine checks and national-programme vaccines; a paediatrician is optional. What to ask, when to choose and how to reach them at night.
In short
- A newborn is automatically registered with the family doctor who followed your pregnancy. If you want a different one, choose before the birth and ask for it in writing.
- The family doctor does the routine checks and the vaccines in the national programme. A paediatrician, state or private, is an extra option.
- Ask how to reach them outside office hours and what to do at night or at weekends.
- What matters is that they answer your questions without rushing and explain what they are doing.
Your baby’s first check comes a few days after you leave hospital, and in the first year there will be many more, plus the vaccines. You will see the doctor you choose often. It is worth choosing in good time, alongside your choice of maternity hospital and your plan for the first weeks at home.
The family doctor and the paediatrician
In Romania, a newborn is automatically registered with the medic de familie (family doctor) who followed your pregnancy, unless you ask in writing for another. The family doctor:
- does your child’s routine checks – the first on leaving hospital and then at one month, at home or at the surgery, and after that at the ages set out in the programme;
- gives the vaccines in the national programme;
- issues referrals, prescriptions and documents;
- is the first person you call about an ordinary problem.
A paediatrician – in hospital, in an outpatient clinic or private – is a specialist you can see with a referral or, privately, directly. Some parents go only to the family doctor; others also go to a paediatrician for check-ups or when their child is ill. Both options are fine.
What to ask
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do they take newborns on their list? | Some doctors have a full list |
| Do they make a home visit after you leave hospital? | The first days, without a trip with your baby |
| How do you contact them outside office hours? | Phone, messages, who answers |
| What do you do at night and at weekends? | Out-of-hours service, paediatric emergencies |
| Do they have separate hours for healthy and sick children? | Checks and vaccines without contact with sick children |
| How are the vaccines done? Do they keep them at the surgery? | Booking and availability |
| How far is the surgery? | You’ll go often in the first year |
What matters in your relationship with the doctor
- They answer you without rushing and explain why they recommend something.
- They don’t make you feel guilty for your questions or worries.
- They look at your child, not just the file.
- They tell you clearly when to come back and when to go to the emergency department.
If after a few months you feel it isn’t working, you can change doctor. It isn’t a lifelong commitment.
How to find one
- Ask other parents in your area about their recent experience.
- Ask your own family doctor or your obstetrician.
- Look up the list of family doctors on the website of your county health insurance fund.
What to prepare
- The doctor’s number on the fridge and in your phone.
- The address of the nearest paediatric emergency department.
- Your child’s health record book, given at the maternity hospital, in a plastic sleeve.
- A list of questions for the first check: note them down as they come up.
Our recommendation
In the last months of pregnancy, decide which family doctor your baby will have – the one who followed your pregnancy or another, requested in writing – and check whether they make home visits and how to reach them outside office hours. If you want a paediatrician as well, choose one using the same questions. Write down the numbers and the address of the paediatric emergency department before the birth (for estimating costs of visits, see the cost of the first year with a baby).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a family doctor for my baby if I go to a private paediatrician?
Yes, as a rule. The family doctor registers your child on their list, does the scheduled routine checks, issues documents and gives the vaccines in the national programme. A private paediatrician can be extra support, but usually doesn’t replace these things. Check the current rules with the health insurance fund.
When do I need to choose my child’s family doctor?
A newborn is automatically registered on the list of the family doctor who followed the pregnancy, unless the parents ask in writing for a different doctor. So decide in the last months of pregnancy whether you want to stay with them or choose someone else. After you leave hospital there is usually a home visit or a first check in the first days.
What do I do if my baby has a problem at night or at the weekend?
Ask your doctor in advance what to do. For emergencies, call 112 or go to the emergency department of a paediatric hospital. Many counties also have an out-of-hours service or paediatric emergency centres. Write down the address of the nearest paediatric emergency department.
Think it could help someone else?
Send the guide to your partner or to a friend who is expecting a baby.