The inaugural World’s Best Hospitals & Clinics for Medical Tourism, compiled by U.S. news magazine Newsweek and data provider Statista, lists 295 hospitals and clinics in 13 countries, including three Southeast Asian nations.
Malaysia’s Gleneagles Hospital in Penang received the highest rating of five-airplane symbol for orthopedics, while its Kuala Lumpur branch earned the same rating for cardiac care and surgery.
KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital was recognized for bariatric surgery, getting four.
Five airplane symbols indicate facilities in at least the 80th percentile in both overall performance and peer recommendations. Four symbols represent those in the 55th to 80th in either measure, while three symbols are awarded to all other ranked facilities.
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Gleneagles Hospital Penang in Malaysia, one of seven Southeast Asian hospitals featured in Newsweek’s 2027 medical tourism ranking. Photo courtesy of Gleneagles Hospital Penang |
In Thailand, BPK 9 International Hospital received four for liposuction, and Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital got four for ophthalmology.
Singapore was represented by Mount Elizabeth Hospital – Novena, which got five for ophthalmology.
Singapore General Hospital was also recognized for breast augmentation, receiving three airplane symbols.
The ranking covers nine medical specialties and procedures: bariatric surgery, breast augmentation, breast cancer, cardiac care and surgery, liposuction, ophthalmology, orthopedics, prostate cancer, and rhinoplasty.
More than 25,000 medical institutions worldwide were assessed, but only 295 hospitals and clinics from 13 countries were selected for the final ranking.
The countries represented are Brazil, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
The ranking contains 1,025 entries in nine specialties.
The evaluation combined five factors: recommendations from medical professionals and medical tourism facilitators, relevant accreditations and certifications, patient reviews, services for international patients, and findings from Statista’s medical tourism facility survey.