Yes, Quebec ERs are a mess — but these 9 Montreal hospitals just ranked among the world's best
Quebec's healthcare system gets a lot of bad press, and to be fair, some of it is deserved. With overflowing ERs and endless wait times, the network is constantly under strain. Over 420,000 Quebecers were forced to leave a hospital's emergency room without receiving treatment in 2025, as per a recent study conducted by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI).
But while there's plenty of room for improvement, the province is also home to some world-class facilities. In fact, several of Montreal's specialized hospitals just got recognized among the best in the world at what they do.
Newsweek, in partnership with research firm Statista, released a ranking of 250 hospitals this week, evaluated across 12 medical specialties, including cardiology, oncology, pediatrics, neurology, and orthopedics. To build the list, they surveyed medical specialists and analyzed patient experience data and quality indicators from more than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries. The goal: help people make more informed decisions about their care.
A few things worth noting — this isn't a general hospital ranking. It's specialty-by-specialty, and to qualify, hospitals have to be publicly accessible and actively offering services in that area.
None of Montreal's hospitals cracked the top five in any category, but getting onto a global list of 250 out of thousands of institutions is nothing to brush off. The MUHC (McGill University Health Centre) came closest to the top, landing 24th in the world for neurosurgery. Meanwhile, the CHUM racked up the most nominations overall, appearing in six different specialties.
Here's the full breakdown of Montreal hospitals that made the cut:
Institut de cardiologie de Montréal
- 131st – Cardiac surgery
- 132nd – Cardiology
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
- 53rd – Cardiology
- 139th – Gastroenterology
- 46th – Neurology
- 24th – Neurosurgery
- 114th – Orthopedics
Jewish General Hospital
- 87th – Cardiology
- 127th – Neurology
- 263rd – Oncology
- 97th – Orthopedics
Royal Victoria Hospital (MUHC)
- 188th – Cardiology
- 87th – Endocrinology
- 128th – Gastroenterology
Cedars Cancer Centre (MUHC)
- 138th – Oncology
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)
- 286th – Cardiology
- 137th – Endocrinology
- 101st – Neurology
- 222nd – Oncology
- 78th – Pulmonology
- 58th – Urology
CHU Sainte-Justine
- 76th – Pediatrics
Hôpital Notre-Dame
- 131st – Pediatrics
Montreal Children's Hospital (MUHC)
- 200th – Pediatrics
