For Canadians who do not receive supplemental health insurance from their employers or private insurers, the country’s top hospitals offer world-class care. Definitive Healthcare analyzed data from more than 130 hospitals across the country to compile our list of Canada’s best hospitals.
UHN runs two of the five hospitals on our list, including Toronto General Hospital. This research hospital is a leading global centre for specialized treatment in oncology, infectious diseases and rehabilitation medicine.
A part of University Health Network (UHN), Toronto General Hospital is Canada's largest teaching hospital and a world class medical institution. It is home to the world-leading Sprott Department of Surgery, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Ajmera Transplant Centre among many other programs and services. TGH also offers tertiary and quaternary care across diverse areas of medicine including cardiovascular disease, renal and metabolic disorders, surgical oncology, transplantation, infectious diseases and more.
TGH has been a leader in innovative biomedical research over the years, including the first clinical use of insulin, the creation of the heart pacemaker and the development of new lung repair techniques. TGH research has been recognized internationally for its multidisciplinary approach, leading to discoveries that have the potential to transform healthcare globally.
TGH was founded in 1829 when the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada established a fund to support construction of a hospital at Simcoe and King Streets. The hospital was expanded to Gerrard and Sumach, then moved to its present location at College Street in 1913. In its long history, TGH has served the health needs of the people of Toronto and beyond with compassion, excellence and innovation.
Located in Toronto, Canada, Sunnybrook is the largest single-site hospital in the country. It features state-of-the-art facilities and world-class education programs that are changing the way health care is delivered. Its staff focuses on caring for patients, researching new treatments and educating current and future health care professionals.
The hospital is a fully affiliated teaching centre of the University of Toronto. It also features the Kilgour Wing, which is dedicated to the care of veterans, and the Holland Musculoskeletal Program, which offers comprehensive orthopaedic and arthritic care.
The hospital has received a number of accolades and awards for its outstanding performance, including one of the best hospitals in the country for patient safety. It is home to a highly-qualified team of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and students. It is also a key partner with Infrastructure Ontario, a Crown corporation responsible for managing some of the province’s larger and complex infrastructure renewal projects. Construction recently began on the M-Wing Shell and Perinatal and Gynaecology Project, a four-story addition that will house the hospital’s perinatal services and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Mount Sinai is known for its specialized expertise in gene therapy, cardiac care, cancer treatments, organ transplantation and minimally invasive surgical procedures. The hospital has high success rates for heart valve repairs and HPV-related throat cancers, and is the first in the country to use a combined MRI/PET scanner to detect brain tumors. The new, state-of-the-art Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine increases Mount Sinai’s research capacity by a half million square feet.
The health system’s clinical affiliations and alliances with a broad range of academic medical centers, group practices, public and private hospitals, and government-sponsored health care systems provide the system with a powerful network of resources to identify and respond to local health-related needs. These symbiotic relationships improve access to advanced primary and specialty care across a large ambulatory network.
In addition to its tertiary-care teaching facilities, the system operates eight hospital campuses in the New York City area and a vast regional ambulatory network. The hospitals and the Icahn School of Medicine are governed by the same board, increasing their ability to collaborate and rapidly respond to changes in healthcare.
Located in downtown Toronto, Canada’s most diverse city, the hospital has been ranked by Newsweek as a top three world-class medical and research facility. It serves patients from across the region and beyond.
The hospital features a medical-surgical intensive care unit (MSNICU), a state-of-the-art Emergency Department and an outpatient clinic. It is also home to the Krembil Brain Institute, a leading centre for neuroscience and neuromuscular diseases, including spinal cord injuries, vascular malformations and neurodegenerative conditions.
The hospital’s new 15-storey tower will provide 82 new beds, including critical care beds, and 20 state-of-the-art operating rooms (ORs), enhancing its ability to tackle Ontario's surgical backlog. It will also create an enhanced working environment for TeamUHN and improve the safety of patients through innovative digital infrastructure.
University Health Network is Canada’s premier academic health sciences centre. It features a three-hospital complex, focusing on excellence in cancer care (Princess Margaret Hospital), cardiac care and organ transplants (Toronto General Hospital) and neurological and visual disorders, arthritis.
In addition to providing cutting-edge research, UHN also has a comprehensive and compassionate clinical care system that serves its patients and their families. The hospital’s multi-organ transplant program is among the largest in the world, offering life-saving transplants for heart, lung, kidney, liver, intestine and pancreas.
UHN is working to create a healthier world. One of the ways it is doing this is by helping patients get the right antibiotics and fighting against diseases becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Another way is by empowering its employees to be the best they can be. It is for these reasons that UHN has been recognized as a leader in healthcare environmental sustainability. UHN’s Energy & Environment department is focused on delivering this vision through their work with colleagues throughout the organization.