Originally known as Hangzhou Guangji Hospital (meaning 'spreading benevolence around the world' or 'universal benevolence'), the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine (SAHZU) was founded in 1869, and was considered the best hospital in the Far East then. As the cradle of western medicine in Zhejiang, SAHZU educated a large number of medical talents, and several health care institutions can trace their roots to SAHZU. Those doctors and institutions have become the bedrock of clinical medicine in Zhejiang. And the hospital itself has been a beacon of the medical science: in 1989, it was recognized by the Ministry of Health as one of the first tertiary care hospitals in China; in 2013, it became one of the first Joint Commission International–accredited academic medical centers in the world.

As of 2022, SAHZU has 8 campuses (2 under construction) with about 4000 beds and 7000 medical staff, including 3000 physicians and 3000 nurses in 56 clinical departments, many of which are national clinical departments or disciplines approved by the National Health Commission. SAHZU has become the role model for Chinese hospitals in the field of transcatheter valve intervention, the micro-incision cataract surgery, colorectal cancer, and severe burns. With nearly 7 million outpatient and emergency visits, 290 thousand discharge patients, and 250 thousand operations every year, SAHZU is one of the most efficient general public hospitals in China.

SAHZU is ranked top 8 in China in the National Tertiary Hospital Performance Evaluation 2021 by National Health Commission of China. According to the Fudan University Hospital Management Institute's Best Chinese Hospital Ranking 2022, SAHZU ranks top 8 in China and top 1 in Zhejiang. Eleven specialties (#2 Rare Disease, #4 Cardiology, #4 Emergency, #4 Ophthalmology, #4 Health Management, #5 Neurosurgery, #5 Ultrasound Medicine, #7 Burns, #9 General Surgery, #9 Respiratory Medicine, #10 Neurology) are ranked top 10 in China, with another 15 nationally nominated specialties (Orthopedics, Oncology, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Allergy, Nuclear Medicine, Rheumatology, Radiology, Plastic Surgery, General Practice, Gastroenterology, Endocrine Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, Pain Medicine, Sports Medicine).