On 12 November 2025, the IHF held its annual Award Ceremony and Gala Reception to celebrate excellence in hospital and healthcare leadership.

The exemplary work of hospitals from 27 countries and territories was recognized for initiatives that improve the level, quality, and sustainability of healthcare service delivery. The IHF Awards promote the exchange of good practices in key areas of healthcare leadership, environmental sustainability, and innovation. Finalists were selected across the eight Award categories and earned Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards as well as honourable mentions in each category.

The ceremony took place in Geneva (Switzerland) at the Campus Biotech, where around 500 international hospital and healthcare executives gathered. The Awards Ceremony was a highlight of the 48^th World Hospital Congress, which attracted 1500 attendees from over 80 countries and territories.

Marking 10 years of the IHF Awards

The IHF Awards were launched in 2015. On this 10^th anniversary year, their founder and a former President of the IHF, Dr Kwang-Tae Kim shared his reflections on their origin.

“At the heart of the IHF’s mission is helping hospitals provide the best possible care to their patients. My hope was simple: If hospitals shared their experiences, others would be inspired to do the same. That would lead to more engagement, more collaboration, and ultimately better healthcare outcomes.”

Hear more from Dr Kwang-Tae Kim in this special anniversary celebration video. 

From a modest beginning, with 105 entries from 19 countries in 4 award categories, the IHF Awards has grown into a global brand, and is recognized as the most prestigious recognition bestowed upon hospital and healthcare leaders worldwide.

In 2025, the Awards Committee, composed of health leaders from around the world and chaired by Dr Lawrence Lai, IHF Honorary Member, received over 700 entries submitted from 38 countries and territories.

Scoring for the 7 Excellence Awards is based on five criteria: originality and innovation; intended impact; adaptability and scalability; scientific rigor; and clarity. For the Grand Hospital Award, entries were scored based on overall success in achieving the five dimensions of healthcare delivery (health service quality, patient experience, clinical outcomes and health equity, cost efficiency, and workforce wellbeing), as well as ability to sustain their success, and achievements.

The projects and programmes presented in each entry recognize innovative, impactful work in hospitals worldwide. In honouring these achievements, the IHF Awards are an important aspect of the IHF’s commitment to international knowledge exchange by promoting good practices that improve the level, quality, and sustainability of healthcare service delivery.

Sustainability is a growing priority in healthcare leadership

In 2025, the IHF Awards added an eighth category: the Geneva Sustainability Centre Excellence Award for Hospital Sustainability Acceleration. This new category reflects the increasing global recognition that integrating sustainability practices into all aspects of healthcare delivery is now a core leadership competency. This Award distinguishes hospitals that demonstrate exemplary improvements in sustainability strategies, actions, and reporting using insights and guidance from the IHF Geneva Sustainability Centre’s Sustainability Accelerator Tool (SAT).

Celebrating this new Award, the Executive Director of the IHF Geneva Sustainability Centre, Sonia Roschnik, shared her thoughts on how the healthcare sector has advanced in this area.

“This new Award celebrates the concept that sustainability is an important journey for healthcare organizations. The winners’ stories show how much can be achieved, and we are sure they will inspire others and create a lasting impact across global health systems.”

Revealing the winners in 2025

The IHF Awards 2025 recipients in each category are as follows.

Dr Kwang Tae Kim Grand Hospital Award – recognizing hospitals that excelled in the five dimensions of healthcare delivery: quality and safety, patient experience, cost efficiency, workforce wellbeing, and health equity and access.

• Gold: King Khalid Hospital Alkharj, Member of Riyadh First Health Cluster (Saudi Arabia).
• Silver: National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita (Indonesia).
• Bronze: Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Taiwan).
• Honourable mentions: Maternity and Children Hospital Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Siloam Hospitals Lippo Village (Indonesia), King Salman Hospital, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Najran Health Cluster: Maternity and Children’s Hospital (Saudi Arabia), Siena Teaching Hospital (Italy), Soonchunhyang University Medical Center (Republic of Korea).
• Special Recognition for Sustained Excellence: Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (UAE), Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (UAE).

Dr Prathap C Reddy Excellence Award for Clinical Quality and Patient Safety – a new Award for 2024 – honouring hospitals for their innovative and exemplary projects or programmes in enhancing clinical quality and patient safety. 

• Gold: Evercare Group (Nigeria | Kenya | Pakistan).
• Silver: Chi Mei Medical Center (Taiwan).
• Bronze: Croydon University Hospital (United Kingdom).
• Honourable mentions: Egypt Healthcare Authority (Egypt), Fundacio Aspace Catalunya (Spain), King Saud University Medical City (Saudi Arabia), National University Hospital (Singapore), Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (UAE).

American Hospital Association Excellence Award for Healthcare Workers’ Wellbeing – recognizing excellence or outstanding achievements in ensuring the wellbeing and sustainability of healthcare workers.

• Gold: Chi Mei Medical Center (Taiwan).
• Silver: Al-Kharj Maternity and Children Hospital (Saudi Arabia).
• Bronze: Hong Kong Hospital Authority (Hong Kong).
• Honourable mentions: Al Amal Psychiatry Hospital, Emirates Health Services (UAE), Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan (Taiwan), Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (India), King Saud University Medical City (Saudi Arabia), Makati Medical Center (Philippines), Northern Sydney Local Health District (Australia), Saudi German Health (Egypt), University of Pennsylvania Health System (USA).

Mastercard Award for Hospital Operational Excellence – a new Award for 2024 – acknowledging measurable success in operational outcomes and efficiencies through projects, programmes, or services.

• Gold: Emirates Health Services (UAE).
• Silver: King Salman Hospital, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
• Bronze: Institute of Mother and Child (Poland).
• Honourable mentions: Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills (India), Fondation Santé Service (France), Hong Kong Hospital Authority (Hong Kong), Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital (Philippines), Royal Hospital (Oman), Saudi German Hospital Cairo (Egypt), Saudi Model of Care – Qassim Health Cluster (Saudi Arabia), The View Hospital (Qatar).

American College of Healthcare Executives Excellence Award for Leadership and Management – honouring excellence or outstanding leadership and management in hospitals or healthcare organizations.

• Gold: Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (Philippines).
• Silver: Narayana Health Ltd. (India).
• Bronze: Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).

• Honourable mentions: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (United Kingdom), Eastern Health Cluster (Saudi Arabia), Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital (Philippines), M.P. Shah Hospital (Kenya), National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita (Indonesia), Prince Sultan Cardiac Center Qassim (Saudi Arabia), Szpitale Pomorskie Ltd, Gdynia (Poland), The Aga Khan University Hospital (Pakistan).

Ashikaga-Nikken Excellence Award for Low-Carbon Healthcare – recognizing hospitals that have made the most demonstrable progress in the last 12–18 months in key areas of sustainability strategy and implementation.

• Gold: Northern Sydney Local Health District (Australia).
• Silver: New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital (built and operated by Chang Gung Medical Foundation) (Taiwan).
• Bronze: Santa Casa da Bahia – Hospital Santa Izabel (Brazil).
• Honourable mentions: Alexandra Hospital (Singapore), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung (Taiwan), Department of Health Abu Dhabi (UAE), Hong Kong Hospital Authority (Hong Kong), Jubail Health Network (Saudi Arabia), Rush University System for Health (USA), Sustainability and Green Transformation Unit at Egypt Healthcare Authority (Egypt).

Seddiqi Holding Excellence Award for Social and Environmental Responsibility – acknowledging excellence or outstanding achievements in advancing social and environmental responsibility.

• Gold: Saint Louis University-Sacred Heart Medical Center (Philippines).
• Silver: Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (Colombia).
• Bronze: Jubail Health Network – Eastern Health Cluster (Saudi Arabia).
• Honourable mentions: Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung (Taiwan), Fundació Sanitària Mollet (Spain), Horacio Oduber Hospital (Aruba), Jerzy Gromkowski Regional Specialist Hospital, Wroclaw (Poland), Karolinska University Hospital (Sweden), Myongji Hospital (Republic of Korea), Rush University System for Health (USA).

Geneva Sustainability Centre Excellence Award for Hospital Sustainability Acceleration – a new Award for 2025 – distinguishing hospitals that demonstrate exemplary improvements in sustainability strategies, actions, and reporting using insights and guidance from the Sustainability Accelerator Tool (SAT).  

• Gold: Fundació Sanitària Mollet (Spain).
• Silver: Alexandra Hospital (Singapore).
• Bronze: Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (Colombia).
• Honourable mentions: Changi General Hospital (Singapore), Fujairah Hospital (UAE), Geneva University Hospital (Switzerland), Hospital Fundación Valle del Lili (Colombia), M.P. Shah Hospital (Kenya), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Singapore).

This year’s Gold winners present their winning programmes and projects in a special session at the World Hospital Congress on Thursday 13 November.

The IHF Awards 2026 will be awarded at the 49^th World Hospital Congress in Seoul (Republic of Korea) in October 2026. The call for entries will be announced in February 2026.