Top 10+ Hospitals In The World In 2021

These hospitals range from those that employ half the Nobel Laureates in medicine of that country to those that are in the United States and offer exceptional research. As medicine and healthcare advance, these hospitals are shaping the future.

Here at BlogyBay, we regularly cover recent advancements in the field of medicine and related technology and now we have compiled a list of the best hospitals in the world as part of that commitment.

These hospitals range from those that employ half the Nobel Laureates in medicine of that country to those that are in the United States and offer exceptional research. As medicine and healthcare advance, these hospitals are shaping the future.   

1. Mayo Clinic

Established In: 1864
Location: Rochester, Minnesota, USA

Based in Rochester, Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic basically defines the term ‘comprehensive medical care, which it has been providing to its patients for the last 150 years. In addition to Rochester, Mayo Clinic now has campuses in Florida and Arizona.

Nearly 60 thousand administrative staff members work for Mayo Clinic, serving nearly 1.3 million patients each year. In addition to its well-regarded research arm, the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine makes it unique among other health care organizations.

The discovery of cortisone, which is a steroid hormone used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, was made by two Mayo Clinic physicians, for which they received the Nobel Prize in 1950.

2. Johns Hopkins Hospital

The century-old Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is considered one of the top 20 medical institutions in the United States. From this hospital, a number of medical norms and practices have evolved, such as house staffing and residency programs. There is a Johns Hopkin School of Medicine on the campus, founded in 1893.

In 1966, the Hopkins Gender Identity Clinic conducted the first-ever male-to-female sex reassignment surgery in the United States. Apart from conducting biomedical researches, the hospital also provides some of the world’s most advanced health care options to its patients.

3. Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Center | Image Courtesy: Cleveland Clinic

Established In: 1921
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

The Cleveland Clinic is owned and managed by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio-based nonprofit organization that manages about a dozen other hospitals in the United States and one in Abu Dhabi. Cleveland Clinic is perhaps one of the largest and most reputed medical institutions in the world.

In the U.S. News & World Report of 2018-19, the Cleveland Clinic was ranked as the second-best hospital (overall) in the United States, only behind the Mayo Clinic. Furthermore, it was ranked #1 in the country for heart surgery and treating cardiac diseases. Cleveland Clinic has maintained this position for the better part of the 21st century.

In the early 1970s, Cleveland Clinic carried a large-scale modernization program during which new research buildings and wards were built. The hospital, as of 2018, employs about 52,000 workers including nurses, scientists, and physicians.

4. Massachusetts General Hospital

Barack Obama at the Massachusetts General Hospital on 18 April 2013 | Image Courtesy: Pete Souza/White House

Established In: 1811
Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), also known as Mass General, is the fourth oldest hospital in the United States. It is also the largest (and oldest) teaching hospital under the Harvard Medical School.

In 2014, according to its official reports, the Mass General had an annual research budget of about $900 million. The report also mentioned that the hospital administers the largest hospital-based medical research program in the United States.

It was at the MGH, where one of the earliest ever recorded use of anesthesia was done by surgeon Henry Jacob Bigelow on October 1846. Then in 1962, a team of MGH surgeons replanted a completely severed limb for the first time in history.

As many as 13 former Nobel Laureates have either trained or worked at Massachusetts General Hospital at some point of time in their career.

5. Toronto General Hospital

As an affiliate faculty of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto, Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost medical research and teaching institutions. As an infantry hospital, York General Hospital began operations in 1812 as a small military hospital for the British Army.

Today, TGH is the largest organ transplant center in North America and also has a widely celebrated cardiology department. The world’s first-ever double lung transplant was done in this very hospital in 1986. Coincidentally, the first-ever single lung transplant was also performed here. In 2015, TGH surgeons successfully transplanted multiple organs (liver, lungs, and pancreas) in a teenager named Reid Wylie.

Whether it’s the development and the first use of insulin in 1922, Heparin in 1935, or external pacemaker in 1950, the TGH has always been in forefront of medical innovation.

6. Singapore General Hospital

The entrance of the Singapore General Hospital

Established In: 1821
Location: Singapore

Singapore’s healthcare system is perhaps one of the most successful in the world and Singapore General Hospital is definitely its crowned jewel. Health care is provided at the hospital at an affordable price without sacrificing quality.

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) was relocated and rebuilt more than one time throughout its history. The current complex was built in 1981, which now includes a medical institute and advanced research labs.

In the late 1990s, as part of major reform in the medical sector, the Hospital was placed under the management of Singapore Health Services or SingHealth, a government-owned organization.

In 2001, the hospital surgeons successfully separated conjoined twins (cranial/brain) following a straight 97 hours surgery. The following year, significant advancement was made at SGH regarding the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in Asians.

7. Michigan Medicine University Hospitals

Ann Arbor situated Michigan Medicine is made up of U-M medical school, multiple research laboratories, and various university hospitals. The principal university hospital facility began its operation in 1986 and is known for its high-volume surgical capability. It houses pathology labs, diagnostic, rehabilitation and as well as other additional facilities.

U.S. News & World Report’s list of best hospitals published in 2018, University of Michigan Hospitals-Michigan Medicine ranks the second-best in Gynecology, fifth-best in Pulmonology (lungs related) and Urology in the country.

8. Charité

One of the four Charité campuses (Virchow Klinikum) in Berlin | Image Courtesy: A. Savin

Established In: 1710
Location: Berlin, Germany

Germany’s Charité is perhaps the largest university clinic in Europe, catering more than seven thousand students and 13 thousand academic/administrative staff (that includes many German Nobel Laureates as well).

The hospital is solely focused on medical research and teaching, in fact, Charité is considered as one of the most research-intensive medical establishments in the country. It is closely linked with Humboldt University and Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin).

9. University Hospital Heidelberg

Heidelberg Children’s Hospital | Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Established In: 1388
Location: Bergheim, Germany

The University Hospital of Heidelberg is the third largest healthcare center in Germany. The entire university hospital is composed of more than a dozen specialty clinics and research institutes spread over a large area.

The hospital has one of the world’s best oncology departments, which is fueled by relentless innovation. The University Hospital of Heidelberg is among the very few medical institutions in the world that treats cancer patients with heavy ion therapy or HIT. HIT is thought to be more effective in treating some cancers than the typical photon beam radiation therapy.

German Nobel Laureates, Bert Sakmann (1997) and Harald Zur Hausen (2008) have served this hospital in the past.

10. West China Hospital

West China School of Medicine

Established In: 1914
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Currently, West China Hospital is the second-largest hospital in China and 1 of 4 hospitals affiliated with the West China Medical Center. Over the past five years, it has consistently been rated among the top four medical schools in the country.

The hospital has about 25 advanced laboratories, 44 clinical departments and employs as many as 6100 medical workforces including professors and other teaching staff. It also offers more than 30 different study programs.

The hospital excels at advanced areas such as cardiac intervention, living donor liver transplantation, nuclear medicine, and treatment of severe pancreatitis, etc.

11. Bumrungrad International Hospital

Bumrungrad International Hospital Campus

Established In: 1980
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Bumrungrad International, or simply Bumrungrad is a privately owned hospital situated in Bangkok, Thailand. The hospital has a reputation for being one of the most sought-after medical tourism destinations in the world. It has representative/referral offices in nearly 20 different nations.

Although Bumrungrad International has about 38 specialty centers (basically every major medical specialty), the hospital is relatively small when compared to others in this list.

Bumrungrad General was the first Asian hospital to receive accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), an American non-profit that specializes in healthcare accreditation.

12. Sheba Medical Center

The Sheba Medical Center, formerly known as Tel HaShomer, began serving the armed forces in 1948 when Israel had achieved independence. It was changed to a civilian hospital in 1953. Today, the hospital is comprised of multiple specialty hospitals/clinics and handles over one million patients annually.

The Sheba Medical Center has conducted multiple advanced medical investigations in the past including a study indicating that an alginate-based biomaterial could stop further heart-cell deterioration in heart attack victims.