Shouldice Hernia Centre

The hospital was founded in 1945 by Dr. Earle Shouldice.[1][3] While private hospitals are not allowed under Ontario's Private Hospitals Act,[3] Shouldice Hospital is one of seven private hospitals in the province grandfathered under the Act.[3] The hospital has been continuously family run from its inception but is partially publicly funded.[4]

In the 2020s, Liberty Development planned to build five residential towers on the property. In September 2022, the City of Markham purchased the Shouldice property for CA$188 million, to transform the lands into a public park, while continuing the lease for the hospital.[5]

Shouldice Hospital is a private hospital that operates in a public health care system.[6] It works solely on hernia repair.[1] It uses a natural tissue, tension free, technique developed during World War II by Dr. Shouldice. The hospital performs hernia repairs on over 6,500 patients a year.[7]

Everything in the hospital is designed toward hernia repair.[1] Shouldice's rooms do not have telephones or televisions, which it says is to encourage patients to walk around while recovering.[1] The hospital is laid out like a "country club."[8] According to the hospital, it has the lowest rate of complications and recurrences of hernias in the world.[3] The success of its method has been cited to the fact that Shouldice surgeons solely do hernia operations.[9]

The facility was the subject of a 1983 business case by the Harvard Business School.[1] Written by James Heskett, the report is the school's fourth-best-selling business case, selling over 259,000 copies.[1] The case study focuses on Shouldice's unique three-day hernia repair process.[1] The popularity of the business case is responsible for the hospital's process becoming known outside of Canada.[1]

• Official website