Caring for a child with a rare or complicated medical disorder
is challenging for any parent or caregiver. To make matters more difficult, a child’s medical treatment may not be available near home.
Specialized medical care is expensive in the United States, while Canadians struggle with excessive wait times in the provincial health care system.
In addition, some innovative therapies are only available overseas. For any of these reasons, some families will consider travelling to Europe for specialized pediatric care.
Jet Companion is dedicated to helping these families access the best treatment options, even if the hospital is across the ocean.
Getting a sick child to a children's hospital in Europe can be challenging
Bringing a sick child overseas may feel overwhelming, but Jet Companion has provided specialized and safe medical transportation for over five years.
Fully equipped and licensed pediatric nurses act as medical escorts for children travelling overseas for medical treatment.
Options range from medical escorts on commercial flights and commercial airline stretcher service to private medical charters.
Jet Companion organizes the transport from bed to bed or door to door without interrupting essential care for the child, including the transport of parents, pets, personal medical devices, or electric wheelchairs.
In-flight care can include oxygen, cardiac monitoring, IV medication, tube feeding, incontinence management, tracheostomy care, and ventilatory support by a registered respiratory therapist.
Below is an overview of Europe’s 10 best children’s hospitals that accept international patients and helpful hints for travelling to these hospitals.
Germany: The Kinderklinik Schömberg
The Kinderklinik Schömberg specializes in children’s brain and spinal cord conditions, emphasizing early rehabilitation.
Advanced treatment is available for cerebral palsy, brain injury, spina bifida, peripheral nerve diseases, muscular dystrophy, Guillan-Barre syndrome, complex brain tumors and pediatric strokes.
They can admit patients requiring mechanical ventilation with a home device; however, no intensive care unit is available.
The Kinderklinik Schömberg offers interdisciplinary services, including speech, occupational, and physical therapy, animal-supported therapy, water therapy, biofeedback treatment, botulinum toxin consultation, swallow studies, orthopedic support, school education, and psychological support.
International patients can submit medical records through their website. A response and treatment estimate is expected within 4-6 weeks.
Payment is required in advance for treatment. An accompanying adult is sometimes allowed to stay with the child.
Their website is available in both English and German. However, it does not include information about language services.
Finland: New Children's Hospital, Helsinki
New Children’s Hospital (NCH) serves children from newborn to 15. It specializes in pediatric cancers, preterm babies, heart surgeries, and organ transplants.
It also has dozens of active clinical trials, including new treatments for leukemias, lymphomas, brain tumours, and other types of cancer.
NCH has an expert team for vascular anomalies specializing in “rare and severe vascular disorders.”
They are also experts in biliary atresia surgery and have been performing mesoportal bypass surgeries on children for nearly two decades.
They perform 250-300 pediatric heart surgeries per year. Over 50% of these children are less than one year old.
From 2010-2020, the most common heart conditions treated were atrial and ventricular septal defects, aortic coarctation, Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries and univentricular heart defects.
International patients at NCH can seek treatment at their own expense. However, organ transplantations are not available to international patients. Patients are responsible for obtaining interpreters and translating any medical documents.
Switzerland: the University Children's Hospital, Zurich
The University Children’s Hospital (UCH) has world-renowned physicians in various specialties. Dr. Nadia Khan is a pediatric brain surgeon and a pioneer in the treatment of moyamoya angiopathy.
Dr. Ueli Mörhlen is a pediatric surgeon specializing in fetal surgery and performs over 25 surgeries annually. Dr. Tayfun Güngör leads Switzerland’s largest pediatric stem cell transplantation center, specializing in chronic granulomatous disease.
Approximately 35 bone marrow transplantations are performed here yearly. Finally, Dr. Robert Cesnjevar performs nearly 350 heart surgeries on children annually.
The UCH offers an international office to help coordinate care. Medical reports must be submitted in English or German.
Their website does not specify the languages spoken by their staff, but their website is available in English.
France: Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand, Paris
According to Newsweek magazine, Gustave Roussy is ranked as the fourth-best cancer hospital in the world, specializing in rare and complex cancers.
They treat a broad range of childhood cancers, including cerebral tumors, medulloblastoma, gliomas, nephroblastoma, neuroblastoma, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, sarcomas, osteosarcoma, bone tumors, rhabdomyosarcoma desmoid tumors, liver tumors, genital tumors, germinal tumors, and rare tumors.
Current research focuses on new therapies for children with osteosarcoma. Gustave Roussy has a dedicated team to support patients from outside of France.
Appointments can be requested through their website. Please include a letter from a referring doctor, an identification card, and recent medical reports.
A service quote is available soon after a patient is accepted for care. Language services are not listed on their website.
Spain: Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children's Hospital
Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) stands out as a leader in pediatric cancer treatment, bone marrow transplantation, congenital heart defects and arrhythmias, refractory epilepsy, and rare childhood diseases.
The pediatric specialists at SJD have treated more than 1,200 rare diseases, most affecting fewer than four children globally. In 2024, SJD opened a center to offer minimally invasive robotic heart surgery in children.
International patients can arrange an appointment by submitting a form online. The International Services team helps coordinate care. Patient Managers speak a variety of languages, including English and French.
All hospital rooms are single rooms with an extra bed for a parent or caregiver who can stay with the child. Additional support is available, such as music therapy, Child Life, school, a mobile library, and play areas.
Germany: Heidelberg University Hospital
Heidelberg University Hospital is known for its care of a variety of diseases. It treats 100 children with tumors annually.
It specializes in metabolic diseases, including phenylketonuria, urea cycle disorders, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, and galactosemia.
Another area of focus is chronic kidney failure, treated with chronic dialysis and kidney transplantation. It also performs over 350 heart surgeries every year.
To request care as an international patient, up-to-date medical documents can be submitted online in English or German.
A treatment offer and price estimate are usually provided within five business days. Rooms may be single or double occupancy.
Most doctors and nurses are fluent in both German and English. If needed, interpreters are available for other languages.
Germany: Charite Comprehensive Cancer Center, Berlin
Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCC) offers cutting-edge cancer treatment. It specializes in leukemia, lymphoma, sarcomas, brain tumors, eye tumors, and neuroblastoma. Radiation oncology and pediatric neurosurgery collaborate closely.
CCCC treats about 120 children and adolescents each year. Dr. Angelika Eggert directs stem cell transplantations.
In addition, CCCC treats patients with Fanconi anemia, sickle cell disease, coagulation disorders, neurometabolic diseases, and immunodeficiency diseases.
Innovative cancer therapies are available for children at CCCC. Their website lists over 60 active clinical trials that are currently recruiting patients.
International patients can make inquiries via telephone or email. CCCC has a dedicated administrative service for international patients and employs native Arabic, English, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian speakers.
France: Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, Paris
Newsweek magazine ranked Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital (NEMUH) as the world’s 11th-best children’s hospital.
The neonatology department is known for its multidisciplinary approach, treating about 500 babies per year with congenital malformations, including epidermolysis bullosa, congenital heart disease, esophageal atresia, and diaphragmatic hernias.
They are the coordinating site for the largest European center for congenital heart diseases. More than one-third of their pediatric patients have a rare disease.
They have distinct teams for rare diseases ranging from constitutional bone diseases to hypergrowth syndromes and rare anorectal, pelvic, and gynecological malformations. A list of their specialized teams can be found on their website.
International patients can mail their request for hospitalization, including their personal information, complete and recent medical records, and a letter from their attending physician. Language services are not listed on their website.
Italy: Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu, Rome
In 2024, Newsweek magazine named Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu the ninth-best children’s hospital in the world.
In addition, Bambino Gesu is the largest children’s hospital and research center in Europe. It specializes in transplants and is one of the few centers in Europe to perform all types of transplants, including transplanting four artificial hearts.
Countless research studies are ongoing, and in 2021, almost 25% focused on rare diseases and tumors.
They provide multidisciplinary care for rare diseases without diagnosis, overgrowth syndromes, skeletal dysplasias, neurofibromatosis, Noonan syndrome, autism, Gorham Stout syndrome, Poland syndrome, and Kabuki syndrome.
International patients can email the hospital for treatment requests. All documentation must be in Italian or English.
The hospital offers interpreters in over 35 languages. Parents are allowed at their child’s bedside for the entirety of their stay.
According to their website, rooms are often shared. Hospital educators coordinate educational and recreational activities in indoor and outdoor play areas.
United Kingdom: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London
Newsweek magazine rated Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
(GOSH) as the third-best children’s hospital in the world.
They are leaders in heart surgery, childhood cancer, and pediatric brain surgery and boast one of the largest heart transplant centers in the world.
In addition, they are the largest children’s cancer treatment center in Europe. GOSH performs approximately 100 bone marrow transplants annually and is one of the largest centers in Europe.
Clinical trials and research abound at GOSH. Professor Darren Hargrave is responsible for a new targeted treatment for a rare brain tumor called BRAF mutated gliomas.
Because of this research, children now have treatment options that are four times more effective than chemotherapy. GOSH is also a pioneer in gene therapy, successfully treating a rare immunodeficiency disorder called ADA-SCID thanks to research by Dr. Claire Booth.
International patients can submit self-referrals for treatment online. GOSH will contact prospective patients within two business days.
One parent can always stay with their child while hospitalized. Family Accommodation Units are free of charge. School and play services for children are available. Hospital employees speak English, and an in-person Arabic interpretation team is on staff.