A new study reveals the top 100 hospital cities worldwide, based on medical workforce, education, quality of care, satisfaction, treatment efficiency, citizen accessibility, and more. So where does Canada sit?

• Tokyo, Japan​ is the best hospital city in the world, with the ​highest overall Quality of Care score​ in the index, the highest Top-Ranking Hospitals score, and a very high Access score.
• Boston, USA​ is the 2nd best hospital city in the world, with the ​highest overall Infrastructure score​ including the best Top-Ranking Medical Universities, high Top-Ranking Hospitals score, and Mental Health Specialists score.
• London, UK takes 3rd place, while Paris, France takes 4th place, with ​France achieving the highest overall Access score of any nation​.
• Toronto, Canada ranks #15 out of 100 worldwide.

The study was conducted by Medbelle, a digital healthcare provider with offices in the UK and Berlin, a company that is aiming to make the healthcare journey better for patients. They claim that while a city can boast a world-class hospital, if the underlying infrastructure isn’t in place, there can still be problems. This is why Medbelle says they set out to discover the best hospitals in the world for 2019.

The chart below shows the 20 best hospitals ranked in the study with Toronto at #15 and Montreal at #18. Not bad that Canada has two top ranking hospitals, but we know as Canadians that this is fragile as our healthcare systems across the country come under increased funding pressure. Added to funding issues is that over 50% of Canada’s population is over the age of 48. As we age, we out more pressure on healthcare systems.

When it comes to the best cities with access to hospitals, Toronto comes in at #6 and Montreal also stays at #18. In terms of quality of care, Toronto ranks a dismal 47 out of 100 and again, neither Montreal nor any other Canadian city appears. In many provinces, our hospitals are tied to universities. Toronto again ranks, but only as #19 on the list out of 100.

We note that this is just one study conducted by a UK based company, but it is a sharp indicator of Canada’s place in the world despite the benefits of universal healthcare available to citizens.

More Insights: Check out this article on the role of the nurse practitioner in the Canadian healthcare system.

Author: Giles Crouch is group publisher and CDO for Optimyz Magazine and occasionally writes articles for print and digital. He is a deign anthropologist and prolific writer as well.