Taipei: Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) and National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital have been recognized on Newsweek’s 2026 list of the world’s 250 best hospitals, released on Thursday. Taipei Veterans achieved a ranking of No. 174, a notable improvement from its previous position at No. 208, while NTU Hospital made a return to the list at No. 249 after being absent for three years.

According to Focus Taiwan, the World’s Best Hospitals rankings, initially published by Newsweek and Statista in March 2019, evaluated over 2,500 hospitals in 32 countries, including 35 from Taiwan. The rankings relied on a multifaceted evaluation process, incorporating hospital quality metrics (40 percent), recommendations from medical experts (30 percent), patient experience surveys (18.5 percent), and assessments of how hospitals implemented and utilized patient experience surveys (6.5 percent).

TVGH Superintendent Chen Wei-ming remarked to CNA that the hospital’s active engagement with institutions in the United States, Japan, and South Korea has enhanced its international presence, potentially contributing to its elevated global ranking. Chen noted that the rankings often favor hospitals in English-speaking countries, suggesting that more Taiwanese hospitals might have been included under a more neutral evaluation criterion.

Alongside the global rankings, the survey also identified top hospitals within specific countries and regions. In Taiwan, the top five hospitals were TVGH, NTU Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The top 10 list included Taichung-based China Medical University Hospital, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Cathay General Hospital, and Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital.