SEOUL --Seoul-based Asan Medical Center has been recognized by American weekly news magazine Newsweek as the top 22nd hospital out of a pool of approximately 2,400 hospitals worldwide. Asan Medical Center achieved the highest ranking among 17 South Korean hospitals included on the prestigious list of the world's top 250 hospitals.
Along with global market analyst firm Statista, Newsweek determined the global ranking based on online surveys of 85,000 medical experts in 30 countries, as well as patient satisfaction assessments. Evaluation criteria also included the ratio of patients to doctors and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), which provide patients' feedback on their experiences and outcomes.
The top five positions were dominated by North American hospitals, with Mayo Clinic in Minnesota securing the top spot. It was followed by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Toronto General Hospital in Canada, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, and Massachusetts General Hospital based in Massachusetts.
Asan Medical Center said in a statement that it ranked 22nd in the "World's Best Hospitals 2024." 17 South Korean hospitals made it to the top 250, with 16 of them located in Seoul and its neighboring areas. In South Korea, patients who live in areas outside Seoul and its nearby cities often travel for hours to see doctors in the capital city due to the lack of medical infrastructure for severe illnesses such as cancer or other cardiovascular diseases.
Asan Medical Center has maintained the top position among South Korean hospitals for six consecutive years. In 2023 alone, the center had a total of 3,469,589 visitors and carried out 78,920 surgeries. The number of international patients who received treatment last year reached 20,086, up 12.6 percent from 2022.