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 careBreizhAtao / Shutterstock
Richard HenshellRichardHenshell
PublishedModified
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.
