A child with a temperature that will not come down, a fall on the rocks at Castro, a jellyfish sting that looks angrier by the hour. None of it is how anyone plans a summer in Salento, but help here is closer and better organised than many visitors expect. This guide sets out which hospitals in the province of Lecce (and the nearby Brindisi hospitals) can see children, what to do out of hours, and what to have in your bag.
By a family living in Puglia. Last updated: 29 September 2026
Please note: in an emergency call 112. Hospital services, sites and hours change, so check the linked official pages before you travel. This is general information, not medical advice.
The short version
- Life-threatening emergency: call 112, the single European emergency number. It is free, it has multilingual operators and since May 2024 it has covered the whole of Puglia. 118, the old medical emergency number, still works and is answered by the same centre (Regione Puglia announcement).
- Urgent, but not an ambulance case: go to the nearest pronto soccorso (A&E). Children are seen in the general A&E at every Salento hospital; there is no separate children’s A&E in the province.
- Something that cannot wait for Monday: the guardia medica (out-of-hours GP service), every night and at weekends.
- Children’s minor problems at weekends: the SCAP, a free paediatric clinic next to the A&E of the main ASL Lecce hospitals, on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
- Medicines at night or on a Sunday: the farmacia di turno (duty pharmacy).
Hospitals in Salento with an emergency department
The public health authority for the province is ASL Lecce. Six of its hospitals have a pronto soccorso open around the clock, listed on the ASL Lecce emergency services page, which also shows live counts of patients waiting in each A&E by triage colour. The Cardinale Panico hospital in Tricase, run by a church foundation, adds a seventh at the tip of the peninsula. Children’s wards are confirmed in the ASL Lecce service charter (May 2026) and the Regione Puglia list of maternity and children’s units.
| Hospital | Address | A&E | For children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vito Fazzi, Lecce | Piazza Filippo Muratore 1, Lecce | Yes, 24 hours | Paediatrics ward, paediatric surgery, paediatric oncology and haematology, neonatal intensive care. No separate children’s A&E |
| Veris Delli Ponti, Scorrano | Via Giuseppina Delli Ponti, Scorrano | Yes, 24 hours | Paediatrics ward |
| Sacro Cuore di Gesù, Gallipoli | Strada Provinciale per Alezio, Gallipoli | Yes, 24 hours | Paediatrics and neonatal ward |
| Santa Caterina Novella, Galatina | Via Roma, Galatina | Yes, 24 hours | Paediatrics and neonatal ward |
| Francesco Ferrari, Casarano | Via Circonvallazione, Casarano | Yes, 24 hours | Paediatric day clinic only, no children’s ward |
| San Giuseppe da Copertino, Copertino | Via Carmiano, Copertino | Yes, 24 hours | No paediatric unit listed |
| Cardinale G. Panico, Tricase | Via San Pio X 4, Tricase | Yes | Paediatrics with neonatology and neonatal intensive care |
Vito Fazzi, Lecce
Fazzi is the province’s main hospital and the one most families end up at, sitting just off the Lecce ring road towards San Cesario. It holds the full range of children’s services in Salento: a paediatrics ward, paediatric surgery, paediatric oncology and haematology, and a neonatal intensive care unit. Children are seen through the general pronto soccorso. From the centre of Lecce it is about 10 minutes by car; from San Foca or the Adriatic beaches, about 30.
The south and the coasts
For the Adriatic side and the Capo di Leuca, Scorrano and Tricase are the closest hospitals with children’s wards: about 20 minutes from Otranto or Castro to Scorrano, and about 25 minutes from Santa Maria di Leuca to Tricase. On the Ionian side, Gallipoli’s hospital stands on the road to Alezio, some 10 minutes from the old town, with Galatina a little inland. Around Porto Cesareo and Nardò, Copertino is the nearest A&E (about 20 minutes from Porto Cesareo) but has no children’s unit, so for a child who may need admission Lecce, Gallipoli or Galatina can make more sense. If in doubt, 112 will decide where to take you.
The Brindisi side
If you are staying in the southern part of the province of Brindisi, or simply find yourself closer to Brindisi than to Lecce, the Perrino hospital in Brindisi (S.S. 7 per Mesagne) is about 35 minutes from Lecce. It has an A&E, a paediatrics ward and neonatal intensive care. The Camberlingo hospital in Francavilla Fontana (Via Mons. Armando Franco) also has an A&E. Both run a weekend SCAP paediatric clinic (see below).
When a child needs a specialist centre
Puglia’s dedicated children’s hospital is Giovanni XXIII in Bari (Via Giovanni Amendola 207), which has its own paediatric A&E for minors. It is about two hours’ drive from Lecce, so it is a place you would be transferred to, not somewhere to drive to in a hurry. Families living in the Valle d’Itria are much closer; our Valle d’Itria guide to hospitals and children’s emergency care covers that area.
When to call 112, and when to drive
Call 112 straight away if a child is struggling to breathe, turning blue or grey, is unresponsive or unusually floppy, has a seizure, has a serious head injury, is bleeding heavily, or has swallowed something dangerous. The same goes for a severe allergic reaction, including to a sting at the beach. The operator will locate you, pass the call to the 118 medical service and send an ambulance.
For worrying but stable problems, such as a high fever in an alert child, a sprain, a cut that needs stitches or persistent vomiting, it is fine to drive to the nearest pronto soccorso yourself. Arriving by ambulance does not get you seen sooner.
How triage works at the pronto soccorso
At the door a triage nurse assesses the child and assigns a code. You are seen in order of urgency, not arrival, so a long wait with a minor problem usually means the system is working. Puglia uses the national five-code system, which appears in the regional A&E figures:
| Code | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red | Emergency, seen immediately |
| 2 | Orange | Urgent, seen very quickly |
| 3 | Azure (light blue) | Urgent but can wait a little |
| 4 | Green | Minor, low priority |
| 5 | White | Not urgent |
Some ASL pages still describe the older four-colour scale (red, yellow, green, white), so you may see either. Per ASL Lecce, visits closed as a white code carry a ticket (a patient charge). A white-code problem is usually better served by the guardia medica or the SCAP.
Out of hours: guardia medica and the weekend children’s clinic
Guardia medica (continuità assistenziale)
The guardia medica is the local out-of-hours doctor, there for problems that cannot wait until the family doctor’s surgery reopens. In the ASL Lecce area it runs every night from 20:00 to 8:00, on Saturdays and the day before a public holiday from 10:00 to 20:00, and on public holidays from 8:00 to 20:00. You can phone or go to one of the local sites, found in most towns; the doctor may advise by phone, see you at the clinic or visit. Residents of Puglia pay nothing. Visitors from outside the region usually pay a small fee for a visit, set by the regional agreement.
Guardia medica turistica (summer tourist doctor)
Each summer ASL Lecce opens extra clinics for visitors in the main seaside places, with their own opening hours. Sites depend on the doctors the ASL can recruit, and they change from year to year. Rather than trust an old leaflet or a list copied onto a holiday-rental website, check the ASL Lecce tourist health page each season. It was still marked as being updated for summer 2026 when we last looked, so we have not listed addresses here.
SCAP: paediatricians at the weekend
The SCAP (Servizio di Consulenza Ambulatoriale Pediatrica) is one of the most useful services for families. Family paediatricians staff a clinic next to the A&E of the main hospitals on Saturdays, Sundays, the days before holidays and public holidays, from 8:00 to 20:00. Access is direct and free, and it is meant for low-priority problems that would otherwise queue in the pronto soccorso. The current sites and phone numbers are on the ASL page. ASL Brindisi runs the same service at Brindisi, Francavilla Fontana and Ostuni.
116117, the new non-emergency number
116117 is the European number for non-urgent medical care. As of 29 September 2026 it is not yet live in Puglia: the region approved the project in 2025, the Ministry of Health authorised a trial in August 2026, and the first phase is due to start this autumn, when it will replace the separate guardia medica numbers. It will not work from a locked mobile. Until it is announced for your area, use the guardia medica numbers on the ASL page.
Duty pharmacies (farmacie di turno)
Italian pharmacies take turns to stay open at night, on Sundays and on holidays. The rota is posted on the door or window of every pharmacy, so the nearest closed one will tell you which is open. Online, the PugliaSalute duty pharmacy page covers the provincial capitals, including Lecce. A pharmacist is often a sensible first stop for sunburn, a scraped knee or an upset stomach. If a medicine needs a prescription, the guardia medica or the SCAP can write one.
What to bring
- An identity document or passport for the child and for you.
- EU, EEA and Swiss visitors: the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC, called TEAM in Italy). It gives access to necessary care in the public system on the same terms as residents, including any ticket, which is not refunded (European Commission guidance for Italy).
- UK visitors: the UK GHIC or UK EHIC, which covers necessary state healthcare in the EU (NHS guidance). It does not replace travel insurance.
- Visitors from outside the EU, such as the US, Canada or Australia: your travel medical insurance details and a card for payment. A pronto soccorso will treat an emergency, but you may be billed afterwards, so keep every receipt and report for your insurer.
- Residents: the child’s tessera sanitaria (health card, which also carries the codice fiscale). See our guide to public health insurance for families in Italy if you are still registering.
- A note of your child’s weight, allergies, regular medicines and vaccinations. It saves time at triage, especially in a second language.
- Water, a phone charger and something to keep a small child occupied. Waits for green and white codes can be long.
Once home, a family paediatrician (pediatra di libera scelta) handles follow-up for residents. If you are looking for one who speaks English, see our list of English-speaking paediatricians and doctors in Lecce.
Useful Italian phrases
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Dov’è il pronto soccorso? | Where is A&E? |
| Mio figlio / mia figlia ha la febbre alta. | My son / my daughter has a high temperature. |
| Fa fatica a respirare. | He / she is struggling to breathe. |
| È caduto / caduta e ha battuto la testa. | He / she fell and hit his / her head. |
| Ha vomitato più volte. | He / she has been sick several times. |
| È stato punto da una medusa. | He was stung by a jellyfish. |
| È allergico / allergica a… | He / she is allergic to… |
| Pesa … chili. | He / she weighs … kilos. |
| Parla inglese? | Do you speak English? |
| Siamo turisti. Abbiamo la tessera TEAM. | We are visitors. We have the European health card. |
| C’è una farmacia di turno qui vicino? | Is there a duty pharmacy nearby? |
A few local tips
- Save the address of the nearest hospital, as well as the nearest guardia medica, on your phone when you arrive. Rural addresses in Salento can be vague, and a pin helps.
- Summer brings heat, sea urchins and jellyfish. Water shoes on rocky coves and shade at midday prevent a surprising number of trips to the pharmacy. Our guide to Puglia’s Blue Flag beaches marks which beaches are sandy and which are rocky.
- Before setting off with a stable child, glance at the live waiting figures on the ASL Lecce page. When two hospitals are a similar distance away, the quieter one is often the better choice.
