Magh Assistance sends a pediatrician or children’s doctor to your home in Algiers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to examine your child at home without a waiting room or risk of infection. A pediatric consultation typically costs between 4,000 and 5,000 DA; a quote is provided before the procedure. Call +213 550 45 33 99 (phone and WhatsApp).
A doctor for your child, right at your home, within a few hours
Since 2011, Magh Assistance has been operating the leading home care service in Greater Algiers from its base in Bab Ezzouar. When a child has a fever, is restless, or too tired to go out, taking them to a crowded waiting room is rarely the best idea. Our team of over 120 doctors, trained in Swiss protocols (Swissmedic), comes to your home to examine the child in their own environment, reassure them, and provide a reliable diagnosis. The doctor has access to a mobile diagnostic suite (ECG, portable ultrasound, oxygen saturation monitoring), allowing them to go well beyond a simple physical examination when the situation requires it.
For parents, seeing their child sick is always a source of anxiety. Home visits also have this advantage: they allow the doctor to take the time to examine the child calmly, explain what’s wrong, what to watch for, and when to seek further care. The doctor is familiar with common pediatric conditions and can distinguish between what can be safely treated at home and what requires a hospital referral — a reassuring assessment that prevents both excessive worry and delays in care, and helps parents understand what does and does not warrant an emergency visit.
Fever, bronchiolitis, ear infections: the conditions we treat most often
Most of our pediatric consultations involve common conditions that can be distressing for parents: fever spikes, bronchiolitis in infants, nasopharyngitis, ear infections, gastroenteritis with a risk of dehydration, skin rashes, or abdominal pain. The doctor assesses the actual severity, prescribes the appropriate treatment, and, most importantly, clearly explains to parents the warning signs to watch for in the coming hours. When further testing or hospitalization is necessary, referral is immediate and coordinated, with no delay.
A pediatric on-call service available at night and on weekends
Concerns about a sick child rarely arise during regular business hours. It is precisely at night, on weekends, and on holidays that parents feel most helpless. Magh Assistance maintains a 24-hour pediatric on-call service: one call is all it takes for a doctor to come to your child’s bedside, even in the middle of the night, on weekends, or on holidays, without a prior appointment. This continuity is supported by our centralized patient records, which allow every healthcare provider to access the child’s medical history and current treatments between visits.
At night, the instinct is often to go to the pediatric emergency room, where the wait can be long and the environment stressful for a young child. When the situation is not life-threatening, pediatric home care offers a gentler alternative: the child stays in bed, is examined at home, and the family receives a diagnosis and instructions on how to proceed without having to travel at night.
Child Vaccinations and Home Follow-Up
Beyond emergency care, our doctors provide regular follow-up care for children in their homes: monitoring growth and development, administering vaccinations according to the Algerian schedule, and offering age-appropriate advice on nutrition, sleep, and development. For families with busy schedules or several young children, having these services provided at home saves a considerable amount of time and limits the child’s exposure to germs in waiting rooms. Vaccination, which the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies as the most effective way to prevent serious illnesses such as childhood pneumonia, is thus carried out in a calm setting, at the family’s own pace. If additional nursing care is needed (injections, dressings), it can be coordinated with our’home health nurse in Algiers.
When to call a pediatrician for a house call instead of waiting
Some symptoms require immediate attention: a high fever in an infant under three months old, difficulty breathing, a complete refusal to drink, unusual drowsiness, seizures, or a rash that does not fade when pressed. In these cases, calling immediately ensures prompt care at home and, if necessary, the dispatch of one of our ambulances. Magh Assistance has several hundred ambulances and remains the only provider capable of organizing inter-provincial transfers and Africa-Europe evacuations, ensuring a continuous chain of care from home to hospital.
Comprehensive care, from primary care to hospitalization
Home-based pediatric care is part of a broader range of services. Depending on the situation, the doctor may refer the patient to a home medical consultation for follow-up, or, for conditions requiring long-term monitoring, to our Home hospitalization in Algiers. Detailed pricing for each service is available on our page rates, which are always provided prior to the procedure.
Fever, bronchiolitis, ear infections, stomach flu: how to recognize and respond
Most calls concern a few recurring issues. Fever, which is very common in children, is usually harmless but worries parents; the doctor determines the cause, explains how to manage it, and advises when to be concerned. Bronchiolitis, a respiratory infection in infants, requires close monitoring of breathing and feeding; the doctor looks for signs of respiratory distress (rapid breathing, retractions) which, according to the’World Health Organization (WHO), should raise suspicion of a more serious lung condition in children. Ear infections, which are painful and common in young children, are treated after an examination of the eardrum; the doctor has the necessary otoscope available at home. Gastroenteritis primarily poses a risk of dehydration, the primary concern in very young children; the doctor systematically assesses the child’s ability to tolerate fluids and their hydration status. In each case, the key is to identify signs of severity (respiratory distress, unusual drowsiness, refusal to drink, dehydration) that require more intensive care.
Dehydration in infants: a sign that should never be ignored
In infants, repeated episodes of diarrhea or vomiting can quickly lead to dehydration. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that diarrheal diseases remain a major cause of child mortality worldwide, most often preventable through appropriate rehydration. The home doctor assesses the child’s hydration status, recommends oral rehydration solution, monitors the child’s progress, and determines whether more intensive care or hospitalization is necessary.
When to call emergency services instead of a pediatrician at home
Pediatric home visits are for non-life-threatening situations. However, certain symptoms require you to call Civil Protection (14) or the Emergency Medical Service (16) immediately: severe breathing difficulties, blue lips or skin, seizures, unusual drowsiness or a child who cannot be woken up, high fever in an infant under three months old, severe dehydration, or uncontrollable vomiting. If in doubt, calling the team allows for an initial assessment, and a ambulance can be hired in addition to a doctor.
Reassuring Parents: The Key Role of the Home Doctor
A large part of a doctor’s work with children involves reassuring the family. Many reasons for seeking medical attention—such as a mild fever that the child is tolerating well, a cold, or a mild rash—require only monitoring and simple advice. By examining the child at home, calmly explaining the diagnosis, and showing parents the warning signs to watch for, the doctor reduces anxiety and avoids unnecessary trips to the emergency room. Conversely, they can quickly identify situations that require more intensive care. This educational approach, in the comfort of the home, is particularly valuable for new parents and families with a first child, who are often the most anxious when faced with illness.
Frequently asked questions
At what age do you start providing services?
Our doctors provide care for children from birth through adolescence, from newborns just a few days old to young patients. For newborns, we offer specialized follow-up care, and postnatal care can be coordinated with our home-visit midwife, which provides peace of mind for new parents as soon as they return home from the hospital.
How long until the doctor arrives?
The response time depends on the area within Greater Algiers and our current workload, but our 24/7 service aims to respond as quickly as possible. In cases of serious injury, the child is given priority, and an ambulance may be dispatched simultaneously to save valuable time.
Can the doctor prescribe medication?
Yes. After the examination, the doctor writes a complete prescription tailored to the child’s weight, explains the dosage to the parents, and specifies exactly when to schedule a follow-up appointment or go to the emergency room if the child’s condition worsens.
What are the most common reasons for pediatric house calls?
Fever, bronchiolitis, ear infections, gastroenteritis, sore throats, and rashes are among the most common reasons for visits, along with infant checkups, growth monitoring, and vaccination updates.
Do you offer home vaccination services?
Yes. Vaccinations according to the Algerian schedule can be administered at home, along with growth checks and advice on feeding and sleep.
How can I tell if my child's fever is serious?
A fever that is well tolerated in a child who is drinking and remains alert is rarely an emergency. However, difficulty breathing, unusual drowsiness, refusal to drink, or a fever in an infant under three months of age warrants prompt medical attention.
Medical source: World Health Organization (WHO) — fact sheet on diarrheal diseases.
