Manila's Sta. Ana Hospital Makes Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026 List — The Only LGU-Run District Hospital to Pull It Off
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso announced that Sta. Ana Hospital has been recognized by Newsweek as one of the best hospitals in the Philippines, ranking 25th among 35 Philippine hospitals included in the World's Best Hospitals 2026 list. For a city-run district hospital to make an international ranking dominated by private institutions? That's a big deal.
Newsweek's ranking evaluated more than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries, scoring each one based on medical expert recommendations, hospital quality metrics, patient experience data, and patient-reported outcome measures. Sta. Ana Hospital's inclusion puts it alongside some of the country's most prestigious private hospitals.
The city government attributed the recognition to its comprehensive modernization program. Major upgrades included a fully equipped vaccine storage facility with ultra-low temperature freezers for Pfizer vaccines, biomedical freezers for Moderna and Janssen, and standard refrigeration for AstraZeneca and Sinovac. All of this was built during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Perhaps most impressive: the Manila Molecular Testing Laboratory within the hospital complex was equipped with two Sansure RT-PCR machines capable of 1,000 swab tests per day each, plus a rapid molecular testing system. Sta. Ana became the only LGU-run district hospital in the country to house two types of molecular laboratories — a distinction that clearly caught Newsweek's attention.
For Manileños who rely on public hospitals, this is a source of genuine pride. Government hospitals in the Philippines are often associated with overcrowding and underfunding, pero Sta. Ana is proving that with the right investments and leadership, a public hospital can compete with the best. Hindi kailangan ng mahal na private hospital para sa quality healthcare — minsan, nasa gobyerno rin ang sagot.
Source: Manila Bulletin
