The prevalence of knee pain has increased by nearly 65% over the past two decades, resulting in a rise in demand for knee surgery across the Great White North. However, Canada’s public healthcare system has been struggling to keep up with the heightened demands, forcing many Canadians to wait anywhere from 6 months to a year or more for their surgery.

Traveling to another region or country for medical care is known as medical tourism. This trend has been skyrocketing in popularity; in fact, the total medical tourism market size is projected to grow by 144% from 2024 to 2030.

Some people admire Canada for its publicly funded approach to healthcare; however, when it comes to elective surgeries, such as hip and knee surgery, patients often encounter frustrating delays that jeopardize their well-being.

As wait times for orthopedic surgeries in Canada continue to rise, an increasing number of Canadians are turning to medical tourism to access the timely and specialized care they need.

Chronic hip pain can negatively impact someone’s quality of life by restricting mobility, hindering sleep, and reducing independence to the point of making everyday activities difficult.

Joint pain shouldn’t mean putting life on hold. However, that’s the reality for many Canadians. Due to the current landscape of Canada’s public healthcare system, surgical waitlists for joint replacement surgeries can stretch from several months to years.