Where can you get the best specialist healthcare in France?

World-class care is available in several cities. We also look at which areas have the most - and the least - GPs

The Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière in Paris is the top ranked French hospital for several types of specialist care
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France has a world-class system of healthcare and of specialist care in particular, but coverage and even access to basic care can vary from one region to another.

A major recent study by American magazine Newsweek looked at the world’s best specialised hospitals in 2024 and ranked them for their performances in Oncology, Cardiac surgery, Neurosurgery, Pulmonology, Urology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

French hospitals performed well in the study, with many ranked among the top 100 hospitals in the world.

The Newsweek report placed Paris as by far the best region in France for specialist care, with the Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière in particular as the top ranked French hospital.

In addition, figures published by Insee, the French National Institute of Statistics in September 2023, confirm that Paris also has the best access to primary healthcare.

The Paris department has more than 503 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, a level only rivalled by Hautes-Alpes, which despite not having comparable specialist care to Paris, is considered one of the healthiest places to live in terms of quality of life.

Many areas though are referred to as ‘medical deserts’ for the lack of local health professionals.

Read more: Seven questions about ‘medical deserts’ in France

GP density per department in 2023

What are the best specialist hospitals in France?

For oncology:

World ranking

Hospital name

Location

4

Gustave Roussy

Villejuif, Val-de-Marne

21

Institut Curie

Paris

62

AP-HP - Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Paris

73

Centre Léon-Bérard

Lyon, Rhône

76

AP-HP - Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou

Paris

99

AP-HP – Hôpital Saint Louis

Paris

For cardiac surgery:

World ranking

Hospital name

Location

10

AP-HP - Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Paris

27

AP-HP - Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou

Paris

40

AP-HP - Hôpital Bichat - Claude-Bernard

Paris

67

CHU Bordeaux - Groupe hospitalier Pellegrin

Bordeaux

113

AP-HM - Hôpital de la Timone

Marseille

120

Clinique Saint-Augustin

Bordeaux

For neurosurgery:

World ranking

Hospital name

Location

10

AP-HP - Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Paris

49

AP-HM - Hôpital de la Timone

Marseille

53

CHU Bordeaux - Groupe hospitalier Pellegrin

Bordeaux

54

AP-HP - Hôpital Lariboisière

Paris

89

CHU Lille - Hôpital Salengro

Lille

113

Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne

Paris

For pulmonology:

World ranking

Hospital name

Location

16

AP-HP - Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Paris

33

AP-HP - Hôpital Bichat - Claude-Bernard

Paris

34

AP-HP - Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou

Paris

45

CHU Bordeaux - Groupe hospitalier Pellegrin

Bordeaux

54

AP-HP – Hôpital Saint Louis

Paris

57

AP-HP - Hôpital Cochin

Paris

For urology:

World ranking

Hospital name

Location

11

AP-HP - Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Paris

36

AP-HP - Hôpital Cochin

Paris

50

AP-HP - Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou

Paris

52

Clinique Saint-Augustin

Bordeaux

74

Hôpital Paris Saint-Joseph

Paris

78

Hospices Civils de Lyon - Hôpital Edouard Herriot

Paris

For obstetrics and gynaecology:

World ranking

Hospital name

Location

26

AP-HM - Hopital de La Conception

Marseille

36

Hôpital Necker - Enfants malades

Paris

50

AP-HP - Hôpital Antoine Béclère

Clamart, Hauts-de-Seine

50-100

CHRU Nancy - Hôpital Central

Nancy

50-100

CHU Montpellier - Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve

Montpellier

50-100

CHU Strasbourg - Hôpital de Hautepierre

Strasbourg

Read more:

France looks to fine people who miss a doctor’s appointment