For many Canadians, getting a new hip or knee through the public health-care system means waiting months or even years. The long delays are pushing some people to empty their savings or launch GoFundMe campaigns to pay for private surgeries. While these surgeries bring fast relief from pain, they also raise big questions about fairness, access, and the future of health care in Canada.
Linda Slater, 83, of Calgary, waited two years on a public system list before she decided she could not wait any longer. She wanted to walk with her grandchildren without pain, something she could not do with her damaged knee.
In June, she spent $33,000 from her retirement savings to get her left knee replaced at a private surgical clinic in Toronto.
“I can walk without pain now,” she said. But the decision came at a huge financial cost. She explained that she felt lost and hopeless after two years of waiting with no surgery date in sight.
Slater’s story is not unique. More and more Canadians are paying privately for joint replacement surgeries like knees and hips. Some take money from their savings, while others rely on fundraising from friends and family.
For those who cannot afford private surgery, the long wait in the public system continues. Many patients feel frustrated because Canada is supposed to provide care when it is needed, without extra payments.
Data from 2024 shows that about 39% of patients waiting for a knee replacement and 32% waiting for a hip replacement did not receive treatment within the recommended six-month timeline.
Doctors point to reasons like staff shortages, limited operating room hours, and an increase in trauma cases as the main causes of delays.
Some doctors argue that the government needs to fix the public system instead of letting private clinics fill the gap.
Dr. Bernard Ho, a family and emergency physician, says no one should be forced to choose between years of pain and spending their life savings. He believes governments should invest more money, hire more staff, and expand surgery hours to evenings and weekends.
Other doctors believe creating a single, central waitlist could make the process faster and more organized for patients.
Private, for-profit surgical clinics are becoming more common in Canada. One chain, Surgical Solutions Network, runs several clinics across the country. Their Toronto clinic does about 400 joint replacement surgeries each year.
Patients at these clinics usually receive surgery within two to six weeks after being assessed. The clinics focus only on low-risk patients and offer extra services like private rooms, a 24-hour hotline, and follow-up care through local providers.
Most patients traveling to Toronto for surgery are from the Prairie provinces, with a smaller number coming from the Maritimes.
For some, paying out of pocket is impossible without help.
Linda Bestard, 63, from Carleton, Nova Scotia, struggled with hip pain for years. She tried cortisone shots, physiotherapy, and medications, but nothing worked. By 2023, she was walking with two canes.
Her wife, Marla Stiles, decided to create a GoFundMe campaign. About 50 friends and relatives donated a total of $30,000, which paid for the surgery, travel, and related expenses at a private clinic in Quebec.
Bestard said the experience reminded her of paying vet bills for pets. She felt grateful for the donations but also surprised that she needed community fundraising for something that should have been covered by health care.
Not everyone has the money or the community support to cover such costs.
For example, 68-year-old widow Susan DesRoches from P.E.I. said she would need to remortgage her home to afford a hip replacement privately. With a limited income, she cannot imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars.
“I have some savings, but certainly not enough,” she said.
Under the Canada Health Act, patients cannot be charged extra for surgeries that are already covered under public health insurance. That means doctors in one province cannot bill their patients privately for the same procedure.
Private clinics get around this law by accepting patients from outside their province. So someone in Alberta or Nova Scotia might travel to Ontario or Quebec for surgery and pay out of pocket.
Some provinces, like Alberta, are experimenting with using private clinics but having the government cover the bill. The idea is to reduce wait times by spreading the workload.
However, research shows that these contracts with private clinics can sometimes lead to higher costs and even longer waits. Critics argue that fixing the public system directly would be better for patients.
For Linda Slater, the new left knee has given her life back. She can walk again without pain and spend more time with her grandchildren. But the story is not over.
Her right knee is now giving her trouble, and she may need another replacement soon. This time, though, she says she cannot afford to pay privately.
“I don’t have any more money left,” she admitted. That means she will return to the public system and wait, just like thousands of other Canadians.
The growing number of Canadians turning to savings or crowdfunding for basic surgeries shows how stretched the public health-care system has become. While private clinics provide quick fixes for those who can pay, many others are left behind.
The stories of people like Linda Slater and Linda Bestard show both the hope and hardship of navigating Canada’s health system today. Their choices reveal the tough decisions patients face when pain becomes unbearable and waiting no longer feels possible.
As Canada prepares to address health-care challenges, one thing is clear: no one wants to see a future where fundraising campaigns replace a fair and accessible health system.
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