Top 10 Hospitals - Outside the USA

10. Vale Hospital - Hensol, South Wales, U.K.

Opened in June 2010, Vale Hospital in Hensol, South Wales is one of the most technologically progressive hospitals in Britain. Jointly established by Vale Healthcare and Nuffield Health, the state-of-the-art private facility features a pair of ultramodern, custom-designed digital operating rooms. Here, high-definition image resolution allows for a more straightforward and efficient execution of difficult surgeries, and according to surgeon Tim Havard, it’s also “very helpful to have instant access to x-rays and other patient information… displayed on big screens.” These advanced operating theaters, together with the hospital’s two dozen private en-suite bedrooms, high dependency unit, set of consulting rooms and diagnostic imaging services, make Vale “the most modern private hospital in Wales,” according to its official website.

9. Guy's and St. Thomas' - London,U.K.

The Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust includes Central London-based hospitals Guy’s and St. Thomas’. According to the trust’s official website, “Guy’s and St. Thomas’ has pioneered the use of robotic technology in the U.K.” These hospitals are particularly well known for their robot-aided urological procedures. The trust first introduced da Vinci Surgical Systems in 2004; then in 2011 it updated to the most recent da Vinci “Si” Surgical System, which has four robotic arms and a dual console – enabling two doctors to operate simultaneously. In 2012, with the help of Microsoft Kinect for Windows, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ became two of the first hospitals to trial “touchless technology,” allowing medical teams to use gestures and vocal commands to study and manipulate images without ever having to touch them. The aim of the technology is to minimize threats to the hospitals’ sterile surgical environments.

8. Ramkhamhaeng Hospital - Bangkok, Thailand

Founded in February 1988, today Ramkhamhaeng Hospital continues to uphold Bangkok’s tradition of providing high-caliber private health care. “Patients at Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng Hospital are met by high technology from the moment they first step inside, when they receive a ‘guide card’ that contains their data along with a barcode,” wrote The Nation journalist Jintana Panyaarvudh. Medical personnel then scan these cards to ensure that patients’ records, IDs, files and medication needs match up. When doctors have made their diagnoses, they enter the data electronically, with the prescription being transmitted to the hospital’s pharmaceutical department. For inpatients, Ramkhamhaeng utilizes a drug-allocating robot, which likewise decreases the risk of human error and speeds up the process. The hospital’s advanced services include digital mammography, 64-slice CT scanning and carotid ultrasound imaging.

7. Wattanosoth Cancer Hospital - Bangkok,Thailand

The state-of-the-art Wattanosoth Cancer Hospital in Bangkok is part of the extensive Bangkok Hospital Group. Offering technology together with innovation, Wattanosoth is the first private Thai hospital dedicated exclusively to cancer care. By 2001 it had caught the attention of medical tourists through its non-invasive and affordable Gamma Knife radiosurgery procedures. Wattanosoth also boasts Novalis radiosurgery, molecular-targeting therapy, and CT, MRI and PET/CT scanning. “We are committed to improving the quality of life of our patients and sharing our researches with fellow scientists and professionals, students and the community at large,” promises the hospital. Wattanosoth adds that it uses “the latest technologies and equipment available in the field” and that it is “amongst the top hospitals in the region.”

6. Asklepios Klinik Barmbek - Hamburg, Germany

Asklepios Klinik Barmbek in Hamburg is operated by Europe’s biggest private hospital network, Asklepios. The cutting-edge facility was completed in 2005 and specializes in dealing with complicated diseases. Areas of expertise cover obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, urology, neurology, and general and abdominal together with trauma and reconstructive surgery. Meanwhile, the center’s more advanced medical technology includes digital subtraction angiography equipment, a shockwave lithotripter, a CT scanning device, a left heart catheter-testing unit and MRI scanners. In 2013 a group of doctors at the hospital made international headlines after they successfully removed tumors from a patient’s liver with the help of an iPad. The innovative tablet-aided procedure was among the very first of its type in the country.

5. Gleneagles Medical Center - Tanglin, Singapore

According to Patients Beyond Borders, Gleneagles Hospital in Tanglin, Singapore “is a leading center for the care and treatment of cardiac patients… with strong technology resources for imaging and robotic surgery.” Gleneagles is among the most state-of-the-art hospitals in Southeast Asia and is a pacesetter in spinal surgery, neurosurgery and other robot-assisted surgical procedures. The hospital was founded in 1957, and in 1994 it established the pioneering Asian Center for Liver Diseases and Transplantation – the continent’s first private facility wholly focused on the treatment of every form of liver disease. Gleneagles also holds the distinction of being Southeast Asia’s foremost hospital to carry out a liver transplant from a living donor. Operated by Asian health care giant Parkway Pantai, Gleneagles earned a worldwide consensus honor from the Joint Commission International for quality patient care.

4. Clemenceau Medical Center - Beirut, Lebanon

Completed in 2004, the Clemenceau Medical Center in Beirut has been recognized as one of the top hospitals in the Middle East. Patients see the benefits of progressive treatments and technology, explains the center’s online statement, adding that it “is fully equipped with the most modern and advanced medical equipment.” The Clemenceau is associated with the world-renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and is able to provide the latest in forward-thinking health care. Its “Robotic team” offers high-tech, robotically assisted laparoscopic surgery – a first of its kind in the country. Doctors use the revolutionary da Vinci Surgical System to carry out procedures in urological, gynecological, pediatric, cardiothoracic and general surgeries.

3. Bumrungrad Hospital - Bangkok,Thailand

Bumrungrad International Hospital was established in 1980 in the center of Bangkok. According to Patients Beyond Borders, it has been a beacon of technology and innovation since its beginnings. It is presently Southeast Asia’s biggest private hospital and treats over a million patients annually using state-of-the-art equipment. The hospital’s advanced tech includes a cutting-edge Swisslog Automated Drug Management System, described as “Asia’s first pharmacy robot;” a Siemens Biograph 64 PET/CT medical imaging scanner that helps to identify cancers in their preliminary stages; image-guided radiotherapy capabilities; and an R2 CAD ImageChecker used in digital mammographies. Every year, people from all over the world travel to Bumrungrad International for modern health care in a “five-star” environment.

2. Anadolu Medical Center - Kocaeli, Turkey

Opened in February 2005, the Anadolu Medical Center in Kocaeli, Turkey is considered one of the world’s leading hospitals. Affiliated with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Anadolu is recognized internationally for its ultramodern technology and top surgeons. It is among only a handful of European hospitals able to offer pioneering CyberKnife treatment, which is described as “the most advanced form of radiosurgery.” The hospital also provides TrueBeam radiation therapy, PET/CT medical imaging, telemedicine, linear accelerator machines, and electronic medical records. According to Patients Beyond Borders, “AMC prides itself on its marriage of cutting-edge technology with a patient-friendly environment.” Anadolu ranked seventh in Medical Travel Quality Alliance’s World’s Best Hospitals for Medical Tourists list in 2013.

1. Fortis Memorial Research Institute - Gurgaon, India

With an impressive network of “super specialty hospitals” and a foothold in three continents, India’s Fortis Healthcare is one of the world’s leading hospital groups. Launched in April 2013 and billed as a “next generation hospital,” Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon, India represents the nucleus of the group. The newly opened institute possesses a “complete spectrum of diagnostic and therapeutic technology, including several state-of the-art technologies that are first in the world, first in Asia and first in India,” according to its website. Thanks to its 3 Tesla Digital MRI scanner, Fortis Memorial Research Institute is the first hospital in the world to offer digital broadband MRI imaging. It’s also the first Indian hospital to contain a stem cell lab. Plus, it has a pair of voice-modulated integrated operating theaters, a 256-slice Brilliance iCT scanner, and a revolutionary “Brain Suite” featuring intra-operative CT used for the brain and the spine.