medical tourism from canada

DESTINATION

1. Overview

Brief introduction to the country and its reputation in medical tourism.

Canada, known for its stunning landscapes and high standard of living, has been quietly establishing itself as a reputable destination for medical tourism. With a healthcare system that ranks among the world's best, Canada offers medical tourists the promise of high-quality, innovative treatments often at a fraction of the cost found in other developed countries. While the country is primarily famous for its universal healthcare available to residents, medical tourists are increasingly discovering the benefits of seeking medical care in this North American nation.

Historical and Cultural Significance in Medicine

Historically, Canada has made several groundbreaking contributions to the field of medicine. From the discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting and Charles Best in the 1920s to pioneering techniques in cardiac surgery, the country has a rich history of medical research and innovation. Its cultural emphasis on holistic wellness and preventive medicine also creates a nurturing environment for medical tourists seeking not just curative but also preventative treatments.

Why Choose Canada?

Besides its medical achievements, Canada is known for its stringent healthcare regulations, state-of-the-art medical facilities, and highly skilled professionals. The country prides itself on a culturally sensitive and patient-centered approach to healthcare, which is especially beneficial for medical tourists from diverse backgrounds.

Developing Trends

Over recent years, Canada has seen growth in specialty areas such as cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, orthopedic procedures, and alternative medicine. The rise of telemedicine has also made consultations more accessible for international patients, making Canada an increasingly attractive destination for medical tourism.

2. Popular Medical Procedures

List and brief descriptions of procedures.

Canada is a leader in several medical specialties. Among them:

• Orthopedic Surgery : Including hip and knee replacements.
• Cardiac Care : Advanced procedures like minimally invasive heart surgeries are popular.
• Cosmetic Surgery : From facelifts to liposuction.
• Cancer Treatments : Specializing in cutting-edge therapies.

Specializations or Pioneering Treatments

Canada is recognized for its research and development in the medical field, particularly in stem cell therapies, personalized medicine, and minimally invasive surgical techniques. Certain facilities also offer specialized treatment plans that integrate alternative therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic care, offering a holistic treatment approach.

3. Top Hospitals & Clinics

Renowned institutions.

Some of the top medical facilities include the Toronto General Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic's Canadian affiliate, among others.

Accreditation and Affiliation

Canadian hospitals often hold accreditations from the Healthcare Accreditation Canada (HAC), which ensures they meet international healthcare standards. Many are also affiliated with world-class research universities.

Special Features, Awards, or Recognitions

Many Canadian hospitals have received awards for innovation in medical care and patient services, as well as recognition for their advanced research programs.

4. Cost Comparison

Comparative data.

On average, medical procedures in Canada can cost 30-60% less than in the United States, depending on the treatment. However, costs are generally higher than in countries like India or Thailand.

Price Ranges

For example, a hip replacement may range from $16,000 to $20,000, whereas the same procedure can cost upwards of $30,000 in the United States.

5. Quality & Safety

Medical standards and practices.

Canada adheres to some of the highest medical standards globally, ensuring that medical tourists receive top-tier care. The country's healthcare system operates under stringent guidelines enforced by federal and provincial authorities. State-of-the-art facilities, advanced diagnostic equipment, and a focus on research make Canada a reliable option for healthcare services.

Accreditation Systems, Regulatory Bodies, and Quality Checks

Healthcare Accreditation Canada (HAC) is the primary body overseeing hospital accreditation, ensuring that institutions meet or exceed quality standards. Most hospitals also undergo regular inspections by provincial health departments.

Patient Safety Protocols and Patient Rights

Canadian healthcare facilities are committed to maintaining rigorous patient safety protocols, including infection control, medication safety, and high nurse-to-patient ratios. Patients are also entitled to confidentiality, informed consent, and the right to refuse treatment, aligning with international patient rights standards.

6. Medical Visa Information

Guidelines and requirements.

Canada offers a range of visa options for medical tourists, depending on the duration and purpose of the visit. A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is commonly used for short-term medical treatment.

Duration, Documentation Required, and Application Process

Generally, a TRV allows you to stay in Canada for up to six months. Required documentation typically includes identification, proof of medical appointment, financial solvency, and a letter from your healthcare provider. The application process can take several weeks, so it's advisable to plan well in advance.

Travel-Related Advisories or Restrictions

As with any international travel, it's essential to check for any current advisories or restrictions related to health or security.

7. Cultural Considerations

Local customs and etiquette.

Canadians are known for their politeness and welcoming nature. However, punctuality is highly valued, especially for medical appointments. Always arrive on time.

Language and Prevalence in Medical Institutions

While English and French are the official languages, most medical staff are fluent in English. Interpretation services are commonly available in healthcare settings.

Dietary Considerations or Restrictions

Canadian hospitals offer a variety of dietary options, including vegetarian, halal, and kosher meals, catering to a diverse patient population.

8. Travel & Accommodation

Popular areas to stay.

Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are popular cities with easy access to top medical facilities. Accommodations range from budget hotels to luxury suites.

Proximity to Medical Facilities

In most major cities, medical facilities are centrally located, making it convenient for patients to travel back and forth.

Transportation Facilities and Infrastructure

Canada has a robust public transportation system. Many cities offer public transit that is accessible to people with disabilities.

Recommendations for Post-Procedure Relaxation

Canada's breathtaking landscapes offer excellent opportunities for post-procedure relaxation, from the serene coasts of British Columbia to the tranquil countryside of Quebec.

9. Legal & Ethical Considerations

Legal rights of patients.

Patients have the right to informed consent, confidentiality, and quality care, among other legal protections under Canadian law.

Medical Malpractice Laws and Patient Recourse

Canada has stringent medical malpractice laws. Patients who believe they've received inadequate care have the right to file a complaint or even pursue legal action.

Ethical Considerations

Canada adheres to global ethical guidelines regarding treatments like stem cell research, organ transplantation, and clinical trials.

10. Benefits & Risks

High-quality healthcare, state-of-the-art facilities, and globally recognized medical professionals make Canada a desirable medical tourism destination.

Potential risks include the cost factor for some patients and the relatively colder climate, which may not be suitable for all medical conditions.

11. Post-Procedure Care

Post-operative care.

Canadian healthcare institutions offer thorough post-operative care, including specialized rehabilitation services and follow-up appointments to monitor recovery.

Availability and Quality of Rehabilitation Centers

Top-notch rehabilitation centers are available, specializing in everything from orthopedic recovery to cardiac rehabilitation.

12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Do Canadian Hospitals Accept International Insurance?
• Some do, but it's best to confirm in advance.
• What is the Typical Wait Time for Procedures?
• This varies by procedure and hospital, so it's advisable to consult directly with the healthcare provider.
• Can Family Members Accompany Me?
• Most Canadian visas allow for accompanying family members, but verify the specifics based on your situation.
• Is Emergency Care Available for Medical Tourists?
• Yes, emergency care is available, although it may be costly without proper insurance.

Global Provider Members

English and French

Canadian Dollar

Because of its great latitudinal extent, Canada has a wide variety of climates. Ocean currents play an important role, with both the warm waters of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Alaska Current in the Pacific affecting climate. Westerly winds, blowing from the sea to the land, are the prevailing air currents in the Pacific and bring coastal British Columbia heavy precipitation and moderate winter and summer temperatures. Inland, the Great Lakes moderate the weather in both southern Ontario and Quebec. In the east, the cold Labrador Current meets the Gulf Stream along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, cooling the air and causing frequent fog.

Facilitators

Ontario, Canada

Manitoba, Canada

British Columbia, Canada

Toronto, Canada

Featured Treatments

MedicalTourism.com

MedicalTourism.com is a free, confidential, independent resource for patients and industry providers. Our mission is to provide a central portal where patients, medical tourism providers, hospitals, clinics, employers, and insurance companies can all find the information they need. Our site focuses on patients looking for specific knowledge in the fields of medical tourism, dental tourism, and health tourism.

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Travelling outside Canada to receive medical care

This information is for people planning to travel outside Canada to have a medical procedure.

If you’re travelling for other reasons and have a medical emergency, consult the following:

If you become sick or injured while travelling outside Canada or after your return

On this page

Medical tourism, health risks, financial risks.

• Planning your procedure

During travel

Returning home.

Medical tourism is the term used when travellers go to another country for medical treatment. This can be for surgical and medical treatments or procedures, including cosmetic and dental.

You may choose to go to other countries for reasons such as:

• lower costs for treatment
• quicker access to medical services
• medical care not available in Canada
• recommendations from friends and family
• preference to receive care from a culturally similar provider
• opportunity to combine medical care with vacation destination

While most procedures go as planned, there can be serious complications. If you choose medical tourism, discuss your plans with a travel health clinic or your health care provider in Canada first.

You should also:

• only use trusted health care providers
• research the facility where the procedure will take place
• buy comprehensive health insurance that covers medical procedures in other countries
• Travel insurance

All medical and surgical procedures involve some risk to the patient. These risks may be higher in hospitals outside Canada, depending on where you choose to travel.

General complications

There have been reports of serious illness or complications from medical care received in health care facilities outside of Canada. These can include bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics.

If you become ill after your procedure, health care providers in Canada may not have enough information to properly assess and treat you.

Language barriers can also lead to misunderstandings about your medical care, including proper aftercare.

Flying soon after surgery may also increase your risk of complications, including:

• blood clots in the legs
• blood clots in the lungs
• air becoming trapped in a blood vessel post operation

Different standards and risk of infection

Hospital or medical clinic accreditation standards may be different from those in Canada.

Licensing standards may differ for:

• pharmacists

Some countries use different standards for regulating drugs.

Medication outside of Canada may be:

• counterfeit
• poor quality
• outdated or damaged
• unsafe, toxic or untested
• ineffective or watered down

Infection prevention and control procedures in medical facilities may also be different, which could lead to a higher risk of complications.

Standards for screening blood products or sterilizing medical equipment may be different than in Canada.

This could increase your risk of infections like:

• hepatitis B
• hepatitis C
• drug-resistant infections

Safety concerns

You may be pressured into undergoing procedures you don’t fully understand or consent to. If something goes wrong, your options for legal action may be limited.

Some international businesses pay people from developing countries to donate their organs. Organs may also be harvested from vulnerable people (like prisoners) without their consent. As such, the safety of these organs or the surgical procedures used to transplant them may not meet Canadian standards.

You may be seeking treatment outside of Canada to save money. However, complications or unplanned aftercare could result in greater costs to you than having the same procedure in Canada.

Your provincial or territorial health plan may not cover your expenses if you develop complications in the country where you’re having the procedure. Most travel insurance policies also won’t cover planned medical procedures in another country.

Learn more about:

Planning for your procedure

When planning your procedure, be wary of:

• people pressuring you into making a quick decision
• this includes claims that the procedure is of lower risk than what’s reported in Canada
• companies selling packages that include a holiday as well as the treatment

You should also be cautious if:

• there’s little information about the health care team available
• you have no opportunity to consult the physician before treatment

Talk to a health care provider in Canada

Before you decide to have a medical procedure done in another country, talk to a health care provider in Canada.

You should discuss if:

• you’re healthy enough to travel
• air travel is a risk after the procedure
• your routine vaccinations are up to date
• you need any other vaccinations before you travel
• any ongoing medical conditions are well controlled and stable
• you have enough required medication for the length of your trip

You should also talk about:

• whether you’ll need a follow-up consultation
• making a medical recovery plan when you return to Canada

Even if you don’t discuss it with a health care provider, you should make a plan for your aftercare in Canada.

• Travel vaccinations

Consult with the health care provider who will do your procedure at your destination to discuss the specific risks. Find out what legal rights you have if something goes wrong.

Check the credentials of anyone who will be providing medical care. Most countries publish this information on an official government website.

Research the facility where your procedure will be performed. Do not go to an unofficial medical facility. Find out whether the facility is accredited by the country’s state or federal body responsible for regulating health care.

Calculate all costs, including for emergencies. For example, an unexpected medical evacuation back to Canada if a procedure goes wrong or there are complications.

Read the travel advice and advisories for your destination to find out:

• about health risks
• advice to protect your health
• about medical services and facilities

Travel advice and advisories

Preparing to travel

Get written agreements with the health care providers or medical tourism group arranging your trip that fully outline what your fees cover, including:

Bring copies of your medical records, including:

• known allergies
• pre-existing conditions
• generic name
• manufacturer

You may need to have your records translated into another language before you go.

• pack essential items in a travel health kit
• consult with your airline about rules for travelling after a medical procedure
• plan how you’ll communicate with your health care providers if you don’t speak their language

Travel health kit

When you arrive:

• ask to see the clinic or hospital where the treatment will take place
• have a medical consultation before your procedure
• check that your health care provider has prescribed you with appropriate medication, including pain relief

If you have any concerns, do not proceed with the treatment.

Get copies of all medical records related to your procedure before departure, including X-rays and scans. This is important for follow-up care and if there are complications after you return home.

Review everything with a health care provider when you return to Canada, including:

• the results of medical tests
• descriptions of the procedures you had
• information about the medications you received

You may need to translate this information into English or French.

Monitor your health, especially if you have a chronic illness.

This includes conditions such as:

• respiratory disease
• cardiovascular disease

See a health care provider immediately if you notice any changes in your condition or signs of infection after you return, such as:

• swelling at the surgical site

If you had injections or blood transfusions while you were in another country, discuss blood testing with a health care provider. A test will look for infections transmitted by blood.

Tell any health care provider you consult for at least 12 months after you return that you have received medical treatment outside of Canada.

Related links

• Well on Your Way: A Canadian’s Guide to Healthy Travel Abroad
• Travel health information

Other resources

• Transplant tourism (BC Renal)
• Declaration of Istanbul on organ trafficking and transplant tourism (International Society of Nephrology)
• Travelling for treatment: Medical tourism (Travel Health Pro)
• Medical tourism: Travel to another country for medical care (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Our Response to COVID-19 →

Destination Spotlight

Canada embraces medical tourism~ the reasons and risks.

It is time that Canadians are educated on the newly coined term “Medical Tourism” as another available option for medical procedures and treatment. The concept of “tourism” may be misleading for many times the typically advised tourist activities would be limited to local site seeing, window shopping, cultural performances and relaxing but healing treatments performed at or close to the resort. High quality, low cost facilities providing every kind of treatment and surgery available are available around the world. Why would Canadians be interested? ‍

It is well-known that Canadian healthcare is recognized as universal and ranked among the best in the world. However, it is also well-known that all procedures are not necessarily funded by provincial health insurance and ones that are funded may leave patients on waiting lists for months to even years. The individual provincial healthcare systems and the Canadian government are very aware of its rationed healthcare, a heated topic of debate since the massive healthcare budget cuts in the early 1990’s. ‍

Technology and pharmaceutical costs continue to increase; however, the funds available are not proportionally increasing creating the escalating funding shortfalls to the healthcare system. Ceiling profit margins for doctors with subsequent doctor shortages, massive hospital personnel layoffs and limited resources for medical equipment are not in balance with the overflowing demand. As the population increases, technological advancements raise life expectancy rates, and “baby boomers” advance in age, our bursting hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices can only expect the pressure to increase.  It is because of this understanding that provinces now have a clause that their provincial health insurance will pay for an internationally supplied treatment or procedure if it complies with province regulations. This request, initiated by your physician, however, has many guidelines and restrictions that limit the number of approved cases for government funding.

Options for an individual in need of a medical procedure, wait-listed, without funding from the provincial government:

• Appeal and complain to local doctor, remembering, the physician is bound by restrictions often beyond their control. ‍
• Patiently wait for the scheduled procedure for it is a “Canadian right” to have the procedure provided without extra cost. This way of thinking is understandable but sometimes unreasonable for there is often a cost to pay. Waiting for a surgery may not cost the individual directly however; the price paid over the long run with daily pain may have a greater affect on the patients’ emotional, psychological, definitely physical and possibly economical security. ‍
• Alternatively, Canadians can chose to take responsibility for their own healthcare with the support of their medical doctor through a certified medical facilitator to direct them to accredited facilities and reputable physicians to perform the necessary procedure in a timely and efficient manner. ‍

As for the opinion that healthcare should be publicly funded, universal and equal for all Canadians, most Canadians agree. We have quality healthcare, life threatening conditions are treated immediately, anyone with provincial health insurance can be attended to in any Canadian hospital, all doctor’s appointments are paid for, with no billing and no reclaims. However, for those who have the means to travel and obtain healthcare, why not? Medical tourism has been practiced for hundreds of years. ‍

Medical Tourism should not be viewed as a “threat” to our Healthcare Service but as a right of any Canadian to be educated and equipped, to undergo a medical procedure, elective or not, anywhere they choose. In turn, one more person removed from the lengthy waiting lists across Canada means better service for those still waiting. Recently, a Canadian politician was publicly questioned for obtaining medical treatment out of Canada, which stirred up much debate about the Canadian Healthcare system and reasons why an individual would leave the country for medical reasons. In the end, it was a private choice made by a private citizen who felt that it was the best possible option for his own health. ‍

Not all Canadians who would benefit from Medical Tourism are looking for treatment elsewhere. Some individuals have exhausted all conventional options for treatment in Canada and are without hope for recovery are willing to embrace treatment options not provided in Canada. Others want to explore other countries and cultures, float in the Dead Sea or experience acupuncture in China, the country of its origin.

There are a vast number of alternative healthcare options available from homeopathy and herbal treatments to acupuncture and reflexology. Some like to combine a “his and her” holiday medical tourism package; enjoy long walks on the beach, a hair transplant for him, a face lift for her, healing and relaxing with exotic drinks in the shade of a big palm tree finished off with a massage each evening on the beach under a sunset. Out of the country, weddings are ever increasing in popularity and with sufficient preplanning, could incorporate a variety of procedures at a fraction of the cost without the extra expense of travel. ‍

Dental work; crowns, bridges, veneers, cosmetic surgeries; face-lifts, hair transplants, bariatrics, fertility clinics to name a few procedures not necessarily covered by the provincial health insurance plan are the responsibility of the individual. Many individuals have “benefit plans” provided by their employer but an increasing number of Canadians are self-employed business owners who are acutely aware that all dental and vision costs for example, are privately incurred.

For those willing to pay, some will prefer to remain in Canada and are willing to pay the price. Some clients, however, given the choice may opt to pay for the same quality of work that could include a two-week vacation in a relaxing resort.

The final decision really is up to the individual requiring medical treatment. Medical Tourism as a prerogative will affect the pricing for dental, optical and cosmetic clinics locally. Global consumerism will bring competition; competition fosters change and will ultimately improve overall healthcare quality and cost for all Canadians. ‍

The obvious downfall to obtaining treatment of any kind out of country is safety. How do you know which places are safe? Which doctors are professional? Is the country that has the procedure that I am interested in safe? I am traveling to the Caribbean anyway; do they provide qualified dental work there? Is it safe? Are the doctors qualified? Are the facilities accredited? What insurance companies cover the medical tourist? What after care options are available?

‍ The value of using a company, certified as a Medical Tourism Facilitator with medical professionals on staff, with years of international experience include:

• Decreasing stress and limiting risks by providing research and planning services covering details about countries, accredited facilities, recommended doctors, and after care facilities ‍
• Coordinate all transportation by air and ground; to and from the chosen country and treatment facility. ‍
• Monitor of progress and offer support while abroad. ‍
• Establish open communication between the Canadian doctor, the patient and the international doctor/facility and the facilitator ‍
• Assist with Visa services and cultural tips ‍
• Will provide a medical escort if necessary ‍
• Immunization and vaccination information ‍
• Public health safety updates and travel warning ‍
• Provision of documents in digital form; it is in your advantage to work with a facilitator that can offer an EPR (Electronic Patient Records) service. With patient confidentiality in mind, a patient should not have to worry that their files are safe and placed into the proper hands. ‍
• Often times a medical facilitator will reduce the individual’s overall cost by using established international connections, negotiated discounts with tour operators, hotels, hospitals transportation companies and the ability to arrange travel details with back up options for emergencies. ‍

Many countries have seen the value of Medical Tourism for their economy and have invested billions of dollars over the last ten years to establish a trusted reputation by offering international patients quality healthcare at an affordable cost. Many hospitals are similar to five-star hotels with multiple nurses per patient and increased hospital days allotted for recovery. Their intention is to give the best service and care often going beyond expectations.  

Client satisfaction leads to a growth of the facility and local tourism. Accredited medical tourism facilities meet a higher standard of care and service, thus increasing marketing value. Many doctors practicing today in these international hospitals and clinics have trained and practiced in the US and Canada however have opted to return to their home country. Others, while remaining on staff in North American hospitals, provide their medical expertise to Medical Tourism facilities on a part-time basis. ‍

Any medical procedure, regardless of where it is performed, is accompanied with risks. Many Canadians will travel for medical procedures and treatments without sufficient research and planning into their treatment facility and doctor increasing the risk of inadequate safety and care that directly affects the success of their procedure.  To improve procedure outcomes, individuals must be properly educated on the risks, advantages of international travel and accredited healthcare facilities thus taking responsibility for their own health.

Persons need to consider Medical Tourism for access to some of the best international hospitals and doctors and for achieving the best possible prices using a certified Medical Tourism Facilitator. The mission of a reputable Medical Tourism Facilitator is to utilize experience and knowledge of travel and medical systems to ensure global best practice. ‍

About the Author

Angels of Flight Canada Inc. is a 100% Canadian owned and operated by health care professionals that provide medical evacuation and intra-facility transportation of ill and injured persons both in Canada and around the world.

With over twenty years experience, in 88 countries, Angels uses its ISO 9001- 2008 accreditation of international quality assurance and a network of accredited companies, to guarantee “best practice standards” at competitive costs.

With limited prior notification, Angels of Flight Canada Inc. has the ability to provide air ambulance aircraft or coordinate commercial aircraft, accompanied with physicians and / or extensively trained registered nurses and advanced care paramedics to any location worldwide.

Angels of Flight Canada has recently joined the Medical Tourism industry to provide the medical logistics to facilitate safe and successful experiences for medical tourists. Over the years, our company has transported many clients for international medical treatment purposes so are looking forward to expand this portion of our company.

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The Medical Tourism Magazine (MTM), known as the “voice” of the medical tourism industry, provides members and key industry experts with the opportunity to share important developments, initiatives, themes, topics and trends that make the medical tourism industry the booming market it is today.

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Medical Tourism: Travel to Another Country for Medical Care

Traveling to another country to get medical care can be risky. Learn about the risks and how to minimize them.

Traveling Internationally for Medical Care

Each year, millions of US residents travel to another country for medical care which is called medical tourism. Medical tourists from the United States most commonly travel to Mexico and Canada, and to several other countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

The reasons people may seek medical care in another country include:

• Cost: To get a treatment or procedure that may be cheaper in another country
• Culture: To receive care from a clinician who shares the traveler’s culture and language
• Unavailable or unapproved procedures: To get a procedure or therapy that is not available or approved in the United States

The most common procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips include dental care, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment.

Medical Tourism Can Be Risky

The risk of complications depends on the destination, the facility where the procedure is being performed, and whether the traveler is in good health for the procedure(s). Other issues that can increase a traveler’s risk of complications include:

Infectious Diseases.  All medical procedures have some risk of infection. Complications from procedures performed in other countries include wound infections, bloodstream infections, donor-derived infections (in the case of transplantations or transfusions), and diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

Antimicrobial resistance.   Highly drug-resistant bacteria and fungi have caused disease outbreaks among medical tourists. Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs develop the ability to not respond to drugs such as antibiotics used to treat infections. Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. Healthcare facilities in another country may not have adequate infection control practices and medical tourists could be at risk for getting a drug-resistant infection.

Quality of Care. Some countries’ requirements for maintaining licensure, credentialing, and accreditation may also be less than what would be required in the United States. In some countries, counterfeit medicines and lower quality medical devices may be used.

Communication challenges. Communicating with staff at the destination and healthcare facility may be challenging. Receiving care at a facility where you do not speak the language fluently could lead to misunderstandings about your care.

Air Travel.  Flying after surgery can increase the risk for blood clots, including  deep vein thrombosis . Delaying air travel for 10-14 days following major surgeries, particularly those involving the chest, will minimize risks associated with changes in atmospheric pressure.

Continuity of Care.  Travelers may need to get health care in the United States if they develop complications after returning. Follow-up care for complications might be expensive. Treatment might be prolonged and might not be covered by your health insurance.

How You Can Minimize Medical Tourism Risks

Research the clinician and facility.

• Check the qualifications of the clinician who will be doing the procedure and the credentials of the facility where the procedure will be done. Accrediting groups, including Joint Commission International, DNV GL International Accreditation for Hospitals, and the International Society for Quality in Healthcare, have lists of standards that healthcare facilities need to meet to be accredited. Please note that all surgeries carry the risk of complications and accreditation does not guarantee a positive outcome.
• If you go to a country where you do not speak the language, determine ahead of time how you will communicate with your clinician and others who will be caring for you.

Before you travel

• Get a pretravel consultation. See your healthcare provider or a travel medicine clinician at least 4–6 weeks before the trip to discuss general information for healthy travel and learn about specific risks you may face because of your health status, the procedure, and travel before and after the procedure.
• Obtain international  travel health insurance  that covers medical evacuation back to the United States.
• Find out what activities are not recommended around the time of the medical procedure, such as swimming or hiking, and plan accordingly.

Maintain your health and medical records

• Bring copies of your medical records with you, including results of lab tests and other tests related to your condition and care. Inform the medical staff at your destination of allergies you may have.
• Pack a  travel health kit  with your prescription and over-the-counter medicines in their original packaging. Bring enough medicine to last your whole trip, plus a little extra in case of delays. Also, bring copies of all your prescriptions and a list of medications you take, including their brand names, generic names, manufacturers, and dosages.
• Get copies of all your medical records from the medical facility at your destination before you return home. You may need to get them translated into English.

Arrange for follow-up care before you travel

• Identify where you will be staying immediately after the procedure.
• Make sure you can get any needed follow-up care in the United States. Follow-up care for medical complications can be expensive and might not be covered by your health insurance. Travelers considering procedures outside the United States should understand the potential financial costs associated with follow-up care or emergency care in the event of complications, review their health insurance policies to determine what, if anything, is covered and plan for the possibility of paying for additional care out-of-pocket.
• Supplemental travel health insurance may also be available to cover follow-up or emergency care from procedures received abroad.

Related Resources

• CDC Yellow Book: Medical Tourism
• American Medical Association Ethical Guidance on Medical Tourism
• Organization for Safety, Asepsis, & Prevention's Traveler’s Guide to Safe Dental Care
• The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery guidelines for travelers
• International Travel (US Department of State)
• Your Health Abroad (US Department of State)

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Why Patients Are Turning to Medical Tourism

Statistics, Benefits, and Risks

Planning Ahead

Frequently asked questions.

Medical tourism is a term that refers to traveling to another country to get a medical or dental procedure. In some instances, medical tourists travel abroad seeking alternative treatments that are not approved in the United States.

Medical tourism is successful for millions of people each year, and it is on the rise for a variety of reasons, including increasing healthcare costs in the United States, lack of health insurance, specialist-driven procedures, high-quality facilities, and the opportunity to travel before or after a medical procedure.

According to a New York Times article from January 2021, pent-up demand for nonessential surgeries, as well as the fact that many Americans lost their health insurance during the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in medical tourism once other countries re-opened.

However, there are specific risks that come with traveling overseas for surgery. If you're thinking of pursuing a medical procedure in another country, here's what to know about the benefits and the risks.

Medical Tourism Benefits

The most common procedures Americans go abroad for include dental care, cosmetic procedures , fertility treatments, organ transplants , and cancer treatment.

This is not to be confused with having an unplanned procedure in a foreign country due to an unexpected illness or injury.

Among the reasons a person might choose to go abroad for a medical procedure are:

Lower Costs

Medical tourists can save anywhere from 25% to 90% in medical bills, depending on the procedure they get and the country they travel to. There are several factors that play into this:

• The cost of diagnostic testing and medications is particularly expensive in the United States.
• The cost of pre- and post-procedure labor is often dramatically lower overseas. This includes labor costs for nurses , aides, surgeons , pharmacists, physical therapists , and more.
• High cost of malpractice insurance—the insurance that protects medical professionals against lawsuits—in the United States.
• Hospital stays cost far less in many overseas countries compared to the United States. In other words, quality care, hospital meals, and rehabilitation are far more affordable abroad for many people.

For someone who doesn't have insurance , or someone having a procedure that is not covered by insurance , the difference can be enormous.

Popular Countries for Medical Tourism

Dominican Republic

South Korea

Culture and Language

Many immigrants prefer to have treatments and procedures done in their country of origin—a sensible decision, considering just how much language barriers alone can affect the quality of their care.

Furthermore, at least 25% of immigrants and noncitizen residents in the United States are uninsured, compared to 9% of American citizens. Children with at least one noncitizen parent are also more likely to be uninsured.

Practicalities aside, many people choose to have their procedure done in their country of origin simply because it allows them to be close to family, friends, and caretakers who can assist them through their recovery .

Insurance Incentives

Some insurance companies have started promoting medical tourism. The reason behind this is simple: savings for the insured means savings for the insurance provider and vice versa.

Several insurance providers, including Aetna have programs specifically geared at promoting safe medical tourism. Some insurance providers even offer financial incentives for medical tourism, like discounts on medical bills .

That said, many insurance companies will not pay for surgery performed outside of the country unless it is an emergency.

Luxury and Privacy

Medical tourism is a lucrative business for many countries, and much of the money brought in by medical tourists is reinvested into the local economy and health infrastructure.

The effect of this is apparent in the spa-like luxury that some foreign hospitals offer, providing medical tourists the opportunity to be pampered during their stay for a fraction of the cost they would pay at home.

Some facilities offer hospital rooms that are more like a hotel suite than a traditional hospital room. Other hospitals offer one-on-one private nursing care, which is far more generous and attentive than the staffing ratios that most hospitals allow.

Medical tourists who seek that added layer of privacy can find it abroad. Many can return home from their "vacation" without anyone knowing they had a procedure at all.

Vacation in a Foreign Country

Medical tourists often take advantage of their stay in a foreign country to travel for pleasure by scheduling a vacation before or after their procedure.

This is an especially inexpensive way to travel to a foreign country, especially if their insurance provider is paying for the flight and the cost of staying is low. 

While it seems logical to recover on a beach or in a chalet by the mountains, keep in mind that it's important not to jeopardize your recovery.

Swimming isn't recommended until your incisions are completely closed. You may not feel up to doing much more than napping in the days following your procedure, either.

Don't let your vacation disrupt your recovery. Any time you have a procedure done, especially a surgery, it's important to listen to your body, take your medications as directed, and follow your doctor's recommendations closely.

Bypassing Rules and Regulations

Some travelers seek surgery abroad to bypass rules that are set in place by their own government, insurance company , or hospital. These rules are typically in place to protect the patient from harm, so getting around them isn't always the best idea.

For example, a patient may be told that their weight is too low to qualify for weight loss surgery . A surgeon in a foreign country may have a different standard for who qualifies for weight loss surgery, so the patient may qualify overseas for the procedure they want.

Talented Surgeons

Surgeons in certain countries are known for their talent in a specific area of surgery. For example, Brazilian surgeons are often touted for their strong plastic surgery skills .

Whereas in the United States, insurance companies might only cover cosmetic procedures if it is medically necessary, cosmetic surgery is often free or low-cost in Brazil's public hospitals—giving cosmetic surgeons there ample practice.

Thailand is reported to be the primary medical tourism destination for individuals seeking gender reassignment . It is often easier to qualify for surgery and the cost is significantly reduced. Surgeons are performing the procedures frequently, and as a result, many have become quite specialized in them.

It is often surprising to many medical tourists that their physician was trained in the United States. Not all physicians are, of course, but a surprisingly high percentage of them working in surgery abroad are trained in English-speaking medical schools and residency programs and then return to their home country. These physicians often speak multiple languages and may be board certified in their home country and a foreign country, such as the United States.

Medical tourism isn’t limited to countries outside of the United States, either. Many people travel to the United States for medical care due to the country's cutting-edge technology, prescription medication supply, and the general safety of healthcare.

Medical Tourism Risks

The financial and practical benefits of medical tourism are well known, and you may even know someone who had a great experience. Nonetheless, the downsides of medical tourism can be just as great if not greater. Sometimes, they can even be deadly.

If you are considering a trip abroad for your procedure, you should know that medical tourism isn't entirely without obstacle and risks. These include:

Poorly Trained Surgeons

In any country—the United States included—there will be good surgeons and bad. And just as there are great surgeons abroad, there are also some surgeons who are less talented, less trained, and less experienced.

Regardless of what procedure you are getting or where, you should always do some preliminary research into the surgeon or physician who will be treating you as well as the hospital you will be treated at.

In the United States, it is fairly easy to obtain information about malpractice lawsuits , sanctions by medical boards, and other disciplinary actions against a physician.

Performing this research from afar can be challenging, especially if you don't speak the local language. Yet countless people take the risk anyway, without knowing whether the physicians who will treat them are reputable.

A physician should be trained in the specific area of medicine that is appropriate for your procedure. For example, you should not be having plastic surgery from a surgeon who was trained to be a heart doctor. It isn’t good enough to be a physician, the physician must be trained in the specialty .

Prior to agreeing to surgery, you should also know your surgeon’s credentials : where they studied, where they trained, and in what specialty(s) they are board-certified. Do not rely on testimonials from previous patients; these are easily made up for a website and even if they are correct, one good surgery doesn’t mean they will all be successful.

Quality of Staff

Nurses are a very important part of healthcare, and the care they provide can mean the difference between a great outcome and a terrible one.

A well-trained nurse can identify a potential problem and fix it before it truly becomes an issue. A poorly trained nurse may not identify a problem until it is too late. The quality of the nursing staff will have a direct impact on your care.

Once again, it's important to research the hospital staff where you will be having your procedure done. Read the reviews but don't trust them blindly. If you can, seek out a recommendation from someone who can vouch for the medical staff where you will be going.

Quality of the Facility

While researching healthcare facilities for your procedure, you want to learn not just about the quality of the facilities themselves, but about the country's healthcare system as a whole.

In some countries, there is a marked distinction between public hospitals and private hospitals. In Turkey, for example, private hospitals are considered on-par with hospitals in the states, while many locals will advise you to steer clear of public hospitals if you can.

You will also want to seek out facilities that are internationally accredited. In the United States, the Joint Commission evaluates hospitals and certifies those that provide safe, quality care. The international division does the same for hospitals outside the United States.

Once you have a few options for potential facilities, you can start to investigate specifics. For one, you should find as many pictures and reviews of the facility as you can. Ask yourself whether the facility is state of the art or whether it seems dirty and outdated.

You will also need to find out if the facility has ICU level care available, in case something goes wrong. If not, there should be a major hospital nearby so that you can be transferred quickly.

To learn more about a healthcare facility, consider joining expat groups on social media for the city or country you will be traveling to. Ask the group for recommendations, or inquire about any positive or negative experiences they may have had at a particular facility.

Flying Home After Surgery

Any surgery comes with risks, including infection and blood clots . Flying home increases the risk of blood clots, especially on long-haul flights that are longer than four hours.

Try to avoid flying home in the days immediately after surgery; waiting a week will decrease the chances of developing a blood clot or another serious complication during the flight.

For longer flights, plan on getting up and walking up and down the aisles each hour to improve blood flow in your legs. You might also benefit from wearing compression socks with your doctor's approval.

If you are taking blood thinners or are at-risk of blood clots , be sure to talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of blood clots after your procedure and while traveling.

Furthermore, you should know the symptoms of blood clots and stay alert.

Unplanned Illness

Any time you travel abroad, you run the risk of catching an illness that you have never been exposed to or that your body is not prepared to fight off. This is especially a concern when spending time in a foreign hospital.

If you have a sensitive stomach, you may also want to think long and hard about having surgery abroad. The food is often very different in foreign hospitals, and in some areas, there is a risk that even the water will be upsetting to your body.

Having diarrhea or postoperative nausea and vomiting makes for a miserable recovery experience, especially if you do not have a friend or family member nearby who can help you through it.

Before you travel abroad, check with your doctor to see if you need any vaccines to travel to your destination or if there are any foreign illnesses you should be aware of. Picking up an illness abroad, particularly after your surgery, can potentially be life-threatening.

Language Barriers

If you are having surgery in a country where English is not the primary language, you will need to make preparations in order to be able to communicate with the staff.

You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that the staff speaks your primary language well. If not, then you will need to consider how you will make your wishes and needs known to the surgeon, the staff, and others you will meet.

Whether you are at home or abroad, remember to speak up and advocate for yourself to make sure your needs are met. If you don't speak the local language, download a language translation app on your smartphone and don't hesitate to use it to communicate your needs. Hiring a translator is another option.

A Word About Transplant Tourism

Transplant tourism is one area of medical tourism that is strongly discouraged by organ and tissue transplant professionals in multiple countries. Most international transplants are considered “black market” surgeries that are not only poor in quality, but ethically and morally wrong.

China, for example, the country that is believed to perform more international kidney transplants than any other country, is widely believed to take organs from political prisoners after their execution.

In India, living donors are often promised large sums of money for their kidney donation, only to find out they have been scammed and never receive payment. Selling an organ in India is illegal, as it is in most areas of the world, so there is little recourse for the donor.

Then there is the final outcome: how well the organ works after the surgery is complete. With black market transplants, less care is often taken with matching the donor and recipient, which leads to high levels of rejection and a greater risk of death. Furthermore, the new organ may not have been screened for diseases such as cytomegalovirus , tuberculosis , hepatitis B , and hepatitis C . It is often the new disease that leads to death, rather than the organ rejection itself.

Finally, transplant surgeons are often reluctant to care for a patient who intentionally circumvented the donor process in the United States and received their transplant from an unknown physician.

It is important to arrange your follow-up care prior to leaving your home country.

Many physicians and surgeons are hesitant to take care of a patient who received care outside the country, as they are often unfamiliar with medical tourism and have concerns about the quality of care overseas.

Arranging for follow-up care before you leave will make it easier to transition to care at home without the stress of trying to find a physician after surgery .

Just be sure to inform your follow-up care physician where you are having your procedure done. After you return, they will also want to know what prescription medications you were given, if any.

What are popular countries for medical tourism? 

Mexico, India, Costa Rica, Turkey, Singapore, Canada, and Thailand are among the many countries that are popular for medical tourism.

How safe is medical tourism?

Medical tourism is generally considered safe, but it's critical to research the quality of care, physician training, and surgical specialties of each country. There are several medical tourism organizations that specialize in evaluating popular destinations for this purpose.

What countries have free healthcare? 

Countries with free healthcare include England, Canada, Thailand, Mexico, India, Sweden, South Korea, Israel, and many others.

A Word From Verywell

If you are considering medical tourism, discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor, and consider working with your insurance provider to arrange a trip that balances financial savings with safety. (Also, before you embark on a trip overseas for your procedure, make sure you are financially prepared for unexpected events and emergencies. Don't go abroad if you don't have enough money to get yourself home in a crisis.)

A medical tourism organization such as Patients Without Borders can help you evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of healthcare in various countries. Making sure a high level of care is readily available will lead to a safer, more relaxing experience.

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Medical Tourism: Getting medical care in another country . Updated October 23, 2017.

University of the Incarnate Word. Center for Medical Tourism Research .

Patients Beyond Borders. Facts and figures .

Kaiser Family Foundation. Health coverage of immigrants . Published July 2021.

Paul DP 3rd, Barker T, Watts AL, Messinger A, Coustasse A. Insurance companies adapting to trends by adopting medical tourism . Health Care Manag (Frederick). 2017 Oct/Dec;36(4):326-333. doi: 10.1097/HCM.0000000000000179

Batista BN. State of plastic surgery in Brazil .  Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open . 2017 Dec;5(12):1627. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000001627

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Global Health Now. Brazilians' risky right to beauty . Published May 2018.

Chokrungvaranont P, Selvaggi G, Jindarak S, et al. The development of sex reassignment surgery in Thailand: a social perspective .  Sci World J . 2014 Mar;2014(1):1-5. doi:10.1155/2014/182981

The Joint Commission. For consumers .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blood clots and travel: what you need to know . Reviewed February 2021.

Hurley R. China harvested organs from political prisoners on substantial scale, says tribunal . BMJ . 2018 Dec;363(1):5250. doi:10.1136/bmj.k5250

Ambagtsheer F, Van Balen L. I'm not Sherlock Holmes: suspicions, secrecy, and silence of transplant professionals in the human organ trade . Euro J Criminol . 2019 Jan;17(6):764-783. doi:10.1177/1477370818825331

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transplant Surgery. Key facts . Reviewed January 2019.

By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She has experience in primary care and hospital medicine.

Featured image by Jordan Sanchez, via Unsplash .

Medical tourism on the rise: why more Canadians are seeking treatments abroad

By Kristian Kelly and Arianna Paquette

As winter rages on, many Canadians are booking flights to get away from the snow and relax abroad as tourists. But for some Canadians, the decision to leave the country isn’t out of a desire to get away — it’s a medical necessity.

There are a variety of factors pushing people overseas for medical treatment: Canada can have long waiting lists, high expenses for procedures that aren’t fully covered by provincial healthcare plans, and it lacks many experimental treatments.

Often, these Canadians turn to some of the many Internet sites that exist to get Canadians medical care outside of the country. These websites offer consultations, and advertise to arrange the best private medical care that works for their clients, for a cost. It’s all part of the business of medical tourism, which is  the process of travelling outside of the country to seek medical care.

The websites run by medical tourism agencies or facilitators advertise to a specific clientele: people interested in travelling outside their home country for treatments or surgeries, otherwise known as medical tourists. These travellers can seek out a variety of treatments abroad — everything from dental work to plastic surgery , and even experimental stem cell treatments .

Patients may travel abroad for a variety of different surgeries, including cardiac surgery. Image by Piron Guillaume, via Unsplash .

Becoming a medical tourist is simple: people arrange their out-of-country treatment and travel, either through these medical tourism agencies or on their own. In Canada, there is no government intervention or regulation for medical tourism.

“If I want to hop on a plane to Mexico tomorrow and get bariatric surgery, there’s really no limitation on that, no tracking of the numbers, no regulated follow up care, ” said Jeremy Snyder, a health sciences professor from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., in a phone interview It’s a well-worn myth that universal health care is one of the pillars of Canadian identity, along with hockey and maple syrup. Many Canadians take pride in the country’s publicly funded health-care system.

But the number suggest a growing counter-narrative. Increasingly, Canadians are voting with their passports and deciding to seek treatment elsewhere.

If I want to hop on a plane to Mexico tomorrow and get bariatric surgery, there’s really no limitation on that, no tracking of the numbers, no regulated follow up care.

A 2017 study from the Fraser Institute shows that 2016 marked a sharp increase in Canadians leaving the country for medical care.  In 2015 , nearly 46,000 Canadians were medical tourists, whereas in 2016, this number increased to nearly 64,000. Since the think-tank’s study began in 2014, the number of Canadian medical tourists has been increasing steadily. This increase has raised ethical questions — not only concerning Canadians travelling abroad, but also surrounding the potential impacts on destination countries and the Canadian health-care system.  

An advertisement video for a medical tourism agency in Ukraine.

“On the clinic websites they’re extremely positive, they’re much more in the style of advertising,” Snyder explains. “Very few references to any risks or concerns that might be attached to medical tourism.” He says he has also heard from patients who were promised a discount on their treatment by a clinic if they posted about their experiences.

A video testimonial by a medical tourist from Ottawa, ON, who received bariatric surgery in Cancun, Mexico.

If all the information that they’re getting is biased and one-sided, it can be difficult for Canadians to make a fully informed decision to become a medical tourist. Additionally, lack of intervention and regulation of medical tourism from the Canadian government can make the choice to travel abroad for care difficult.

The federal government says that Canadians who choose to receive medical care abroad are “ on your own if you decide to do so ,” but warn of different health standards in other countries. The government also doesn’t track the number of citizens who go abroad for treatment, or offer any follow-up care for patients.

Snyder says if aftercare isn’t in place, then a patient’s success with a treatment might be worse. Even if a patient does receive aftercare upon returning to Canada, there are still potential problems.

In a 2016 study of medical-legal risks of medical tourism , the Canadian Medical Protective Association notes patients often “return home with incomplete or no clinical documentation of information” about their foreign procedure. Medical tourists may not fully understand or have documentation to explain their procedures and so they might not get appropriate care once back home, which can cause ripple effects in the Canadian health-care system and lead to even longer wait times.

Power Dynamic

Medical tourism doesn’t just affect the tourist. It’s also a concern for the country providing the care.

Researchers have expressed concerns about the ethical dilemmas caused by high-income Canadians going to destination countries that are usually underdeveloped.

International patients bring lots of money into these countries, and this might mean the foreigners are able to afford better private medical care than the locals who fund the public health care.

“There’s something problematic when taxpayers who paid for the development of that potential, the development of doctors and clinics, …  cannot access them because foreigners are getting them,” Deonandan says.

He notes that in reproductive tourism, where tourists sometimes go to lower-income countries for fertility treatments or surrogacy candidates, informed consent can be complicated.

Not only do surrogates from less wealthy countries have less of a choice, as they’re poor and need to make money, Deonandan also says the relationship between the doctor and the surrogate — their country, sex, age, and education — can all compel or coerce informed consent.

“There’s a power dynamic there that really complicates the soup.”

In some cases, the provincial government might actually help pay for medical expenses abroad.

In Ontario, the Out of Country Prior Approval program provides funding for “medically necessary” OHIP insured services while abroad, said David Jensen, media relations co-ordinator for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, in an email.

Jensen notes the program is not meant to provide access to international treatment when the same treatment exists within the province or when the treatment is not scientifically established, nor to enable queue-jumping.

But even with this program in place, not every medical tourist qualifies. For those whose out of country treatment isn’t funded, their money isn’t going into the Canadian health-care system.

Although many medical tourists pay out of pocket for their treatment abroad, when they return to Canada, any health problems they experience from post-treatment complications are now the burden of the Canadian health-care system.

Numbers Game

The fact there is no tracking of medical tourism by the federal government is part of the reason some researchers, including Snyder, are critical of the medical tourism data presented by the Fraser Institute.

“There aren’t any good numbers out there, so I guess you could say it’s better than nothing but I’m not sure that’s true,” Snyder says.

He adds that although the study seems very precise, the numbers were self-reported by physicians. Since physicians don’t record information on medical tourism, these data could be unreliable. For example, people don’t always talk to their family doctors before seeking treatment abroad, for fear of discouragement.

But Barau notes since the government doesn’t track these numbers, there’s no perfect way to collect data. “There is no way to accurately do it other than literally asking every patient who’s travelling abroad for treatment whether they actually received it,” Barau says. He says that the numbers presented in the report provide a rough idea of what’s happening, although it may even be an underestimate of how many Canadians travel abroad for care.

Snyder says he hopes that eventually, there will be more resources and unbiased information about medical tourism available for Canadians, allowing them to stay safe and healthy not only during their trip, but also when they return to Canada. In the interim, the Fraser Institute’s report draws attention to some of the issues with and for Canada’s universal health-care system, as well as the ethical issues involved with medical tourism.

Deonadan says he finds it “problematic” when it’s less expensive for a Canadian to travel to and temporarily live in another country to get a surgery done, rather than getting the same treatment at home.

“Medical tourism opens up or allows us to examine some of the failings in our system,” he adds. “If you have to travel abroad to seek services, then we are doing something fundamentally wrong here and under-serving the people who have to go abroad.”

Medical tourism opens up or allows us to examine some of the failings in our system.

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Medical Tourism Canada

About canada.

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Healthcare in Canada

LIke many countries, Canada has both a public and growing private healthcare system. According to the Medical Tourism Index, Canada ranks #1 as a desireable destination for both international (arriving from other countries) and domestic (Canadians travelling within Canada to another province) medical tourism patients.  Medical tourism in Canada is still a growing industry with an increasing focus on more private healthcare facilities.  While many argue this will hurt public healthcare, there is the equal argument that promoting healthcare choice will allow for improvement of wait-times in the public healthcare system.

Healthcare Providers Offering Medical Tourism or Cross-Provincial (Domestic) Tourism

Canada's healthcare facilities often focus on a variety of specialties including but not limited to cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, and cancer treatment. Here is a list of types of institutions that have been recognized for their medical services and offer services to international and cross-border medical patients.

• University Health Network (UHN) - Toronto, Ontario: UHN is a group of hospitals and healthcare facilities in Toronto, including Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. They are known for comprehensive care in a wide range of specialties.
• Hospital for Sick Children - Toronto, Ontario: The International Patient Program (IPP) helps children living outside of Canada who require access to specialized paediatric care not available in the country or region where they reside.
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre - Toronto, Ontario: Sunnybrook is a major teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, offering specialized treatments in cancer care, trauma, and burn treatment, among others. It accepts cross-provincial patients from other provinces.
• Cleveland Clinic Canada - Toronto, Ontario: As a branch of the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, this facility offers a range of services for international patients, focusing on executive health, sports health, and preventive medicine.
• Mount Sinai Hospital - Toronto, Ontario: This hospital is internationally recognized for its excellence in reproductive medicine, cancer care, orthopedics, and other specialties.
• Shouldice Hospital - Thornhill, Ontario: Specializing in hernia repair, Shouldice Hospital is known for its unique surgical techniques and high success rates, attracting patients from all over the world.
• Western Surgery Centre - Winnipeg, Manitoba: This private surgical facility specializes in cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, and other elective procedures, offering services to both local and international patients.

Medical Tourism in Canada

Canada scores high in the main factors that drive medical tourism. The destination was ranked 1st out of 41 for destination environment, because it is a wealthy, democratic and developed nation with a solid government that does not allow corruption. Surprisingly, it also scores high on the medical tourism factor, boosted by its top ranked healthcare costs. This means that Canada’s private healthcare system is extremely competitive when it comes to pricing its services for medical, surgical or dental interventions, taking advantage of the existing infrastructure and its capacity. In the end, this gives them enough power to attract and market its medical tourism industry to the world. Also, the quality of its facilities and its staff expertise gets them ranked 4th, which sends the northern nation to the top of the medical tourism index.

Canada snapshot

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Medical Tourism in Canada; Guide to Medical Treatment in Canada.

Medical Tourism in Canada

Holidaying abroad with a stop-over for inexpensive, high quality health care might be an interesting offer for many; especially, if the whole package costs far less than specific healthcare alone in your home country.

Medical tourism is a  rapidly growing industry  that attracts people to travel abroad to get medical, dental, and surgical care, along with an enjoyable and luxurious vacation in the country.

People from developed countries such as Canada, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Lithuania, Malaysia, Thailand, Belgium, Poland and Singapore have  world class , cost-effective healthcare. Traveling to Canada for medical care just makes sense.

Why Canada? People traveling to Canada for medical reasons are mostly from the United States. Medical care in United States is almost double the cost of what it is in Canada, making Canada an attractive medical tourism destination for Americans. However, those who are still skeptical about standard of care in America and Canada, should take a close look at the facts provided: • Average in-hospital treatment costs are nearly twice as much in the U.S. ($20,673 U.S. vs. $10,373) • There are 9.9 qualified nurses per 1000 population in Canada as compared to 7.9 nurses per 1000 population in US (so you get a highly personalized care!) • Overall satisfaction with the surgical experience is similar in both countries (85.3% U.S. and 83.5% Canada). • The number of acute care hospital beds in Canada is 3.0 per 1000 population as compared to 2.8 in US • Canadians have lower rates of in-hospital mortality (1.4% Canada vs. 2.2% U.S.).  • Administrative costs consume more of the total cost of treatment in the U.S. (38.2% of total costs in the U.S. vs. 31.7% in Canada). • In-hospital cost of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in the U.S. is 82.5 % higher in the U.S. than in Canada. • The mortality rate for end-stage renal disease is 47% higher in the U.S. than in Canada. Adjusted monthly costs of treatment are $503 higher in the U.S.  • Fifty-seven percent (57%) of U.S. patients have reprocessed dialyzers used on them, compared with 0.0% of Canadian patients. • Compared with the American counterparts, low-income Canadians have a significant survival. • Advantage for 13 of the 15 kinds of cancer studied. • One-year mortality rates following myocardial infarction are virtually identical for both countries (34.3% U.S. vs. 34.4% Canada). • Canada has a higher rate of annual bone marrow transplants (0.89 per 100,000 population vs. 0.81per 100,000 in the U.S.) • Canada has lower mortality rates for patients 65 and older three years after both low-mortality (18.52% U.S. vs. 15.31% Canada) and moderate-mortality (19.19% U.S. vs. 16.63% Canada) procedures. • Survival rate for four disease condition is higher in Canada than in America:            o Colorectal cancer: 113 Canada vs. 108 U.S.            o Childhood leukemia: 118 vs.110            o Kidney transplants 113 vs. 100            o Liver transplants 123 vs. 102 • Above all, American citizen do not need visa if the length of stay is less than 180 days. • The prescription drugs and medicines are far less expensive in Canada.  

The high cost in America is mainly attributable to higher resource prices for products and labor and higher overhead costs resulting from a nonsocialized medical system.  In addition to the cost effective medical care, medical tourism to Canada is an opportunity to explore places of interest and relax in beautiful ambience - an opportunity worth grabbing indeed!

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• Published: 14 October 2011

Canadian medical tourism companies that have exited the marketplace: Content analysis of websites used to market transnational medical travel

• Leigh Turner 1  

Globalization and Health volume  7 , Article number:  40 ( 2011 ) Cite this article

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Metrics details

Medical tourism companies play an important role in promoting transnational medical travel for elective, out-of-pocket medical procedures. Though researchers are paying increasing attention to the global phenomenon of medical tourism, to date websites of medical tourism companies have received limited scrutiny. This article analyzes websites of Canadian medical tourism companies that advertised international healthcare but ultimately exited the marketplace. Using content analysis of company websites as an investigative tool, the article provides a detailed account of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but no longer send clients to international health care facilities.

Internet searches, Google Alerts, searches on Google News Canada and ProQuest Newsstand, and searches of an Industry Canada database were used to locate medical tourism companies located in Canada. Once medical tourism companies were identified, the social science research method of content analysis was used to extract relevant information from company websites. Company websites were analyzed to determine: 1) where these businesses were based; 2) the destination countries and medical facilities that they promoted; 3) the health services they advertised; 4) core marketing messages; and 5) whether businesses marketed air travel, hotel accommodations, and holiday excursions in addition to medical procedures.

In total, 25 medical tourism companies that were based in Canada are now defunct. Given that an estimated 18 medical tourism companies and 7 regional, cross-border medical travel facilitators now operate in Canada, it appears that approximately half of all identifiable medical tourism companies in Canada are no longer in business. 13 of the previously operational companies were based in Ontario, 7 were located in British Columbia, 4 were situated in Quebec, and 1 was based in Alberta. 14 companies marketed medical procedures within a single country, 9 businesses marketed health care at 2 or more destination nations, and 2 companies did not specify particular health care destinations. 22 companies operated as "generalist" businesses marketing many different types of medical procedures. 3 medical tourism companies marketed "specialist" services restricted to dental procedures or organ transplants. In general, medical tourism companies marketed health services on the basis of access to affordable, timely, and high-quality care. 16 businesses offered to make travel arrangements, 20 companies offered to book hotel reservations, and 17 medical tourism companies advertised holiday excursions.

Conclusions

This article provides a detailed empirical analysis of websites of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but exited the marketplace and are now inoperative. The article identifies where these companies were located in Canada, what countries and health care facilities they selected as destination sites, the health services they advertised, how they marketed themselves in a competitive environment, and what travel-related services they promoted in addition to marketing health care. The paper reveals a fluid marketplace, with many medical tourism companies exiting this industry. In addition, by disclosing identities of companies, providing their websites, archiving these websites or print copies of websites for future studies, and analyzing content of medical tourism company websites, the article can serve as a useful resource for future studies. Citizens, health policy-makers, clinicians, and researchers can all benefit from increased insight into Canada's medical tourism industry.

Introduction

The phrase "medical tourism" is often used to describe individuals travelling for health care and paying out-of-pocket for elective medical procedures [ 1 – 8 ]. Medical tourism can involve travel within the borders of the country inhabited by a particular patient [ 9 ]. However, the term usually refers to transnational travel organized for the purpose of receiving medical care [ 10 ]. "Medical tourism" sometimes refers to regional health-related travel across borders dividing one country from another. For example, Canadians seeking health care and travelling from Ontario or Québec to Michigan or Vermont are occasionally described as medical tourists [ 11 ]. More commonly, the phrase is used to describe long-distance travel such as when a resident of Canada travels to India for medical care [ 12 ]. Individuals requiring emergency treatment seek immediate access to local hospitals and clinics. In contrast, medical tourism generally involves travel for elective, non-urgent medical interventions such as hip and knee replacements, dental procedures, and spinal surgery [ 13 ]. Patients might desire prompt access to these interventions but the treatments do not fall into the category of emergency care for life-threatening health conditions. Travel to spas, resorts, hot springs, and healing retreats is often characterized as "health tourism", "wellness tourism", and "spa tourism" [ 14 , 15 ]. The phrase "medical tourism" is usually reserved for trips involving diagnostic tests and medical procedures falling within the scope of biomedicine. This distinction is not absolute. Many individuals combine different healing modalities and when travelling to international medical facilities seek both biomedical procedures and local healing traditions.

Travel for the purpose of obtaining medical care occurs for many different reasons and must be examined within the context of individual patient circumstances and large social-structural forces or political economies shaping access to health care [ 16 ]. For example, some uninsured residents of the U.S. travel to India and Mexico for medical care. Such individuals are often labeled medical tourists but other commentators, noting these travellers' lack of health insurance and inability to gain access to affordable care at local medical institutions, describe them as "medical refugees" or "medical exiles" [ 17 ].

Distinguishing among different types of health-related travel, researchers identify various kinds of medical tourists. Individuals travelling for kidney and liver transplants, for example, are sometimes given the label "transplant tourists" [ 18 ]. Patients seeking stem cell injections at clinics based in China, India, Mexico, Russia, and elsewhere are often called "stem cell tourists" [ 19 ]. The term "reproductive tourist" is used to describe individuals travelling for in vitro fertilization, other types of reproductive technologies, and commercial surrogacy [ 20 ]. Some scholars even use the term "suicide tourist" to describe individuals who travel to Switzerland for assistance in suicide [ 21 ]. Several of these labels are rather jarring and researchers disagree about the adequacy of various terms used to describe different types of cross-border medical travel. The primary objection to the medical tourism label is the linkage of medical procedures with the holiday-going, pleasure-seeking, leisure activities, and relaxation that the word "tourism" signifies to many individuals [ 22 ]. Though disagreement persists about what terms are best regarded as marketing labels and which phrases ought to be used by researchers, the phrase "medical tourism" is now routinely used in newspaper articles, policy documents, guidelines for patients, and peer-reviewed publications.

The subject of medical tourism attracts the attention of researchers from numerous disciplines. Scholars from anthropology, bioethics, cultural studies, law, public health, sociology, women's studies, and other fields have all made important contributions to the subject. Health law scholars provide insight into legal issues associated with cross-border medical travel [ 23 ]. Economists examine benefits and harms associated with increased international trade in health services [ 24 , 25 ]. Bioethicists identify ethical issues and policy concerns they associate with medical tourism and the emergence of an inadequately regulated global marketplace in health services [ 26 , 27 ]. In particular, they raise questions about quality of care and patient safety, continuity-of-care, commercialization of health care, public health considerations, health equity, and commodification of bodies of individuals selling organs or engaging in commercial surrogacy. Though previous research examining the phenomenon of medical tourism displays interest in how medical travel is situated in particular social, political, and economic contexts, many scholars note the need for more richly detailed, empirically-informed studies that address such topics as why patients travel for care, what types of procedures they undergo, where they travel, what quality of care they receive when they travel to international medical destinations, and what happens if they experience complications after receiving care abroad and then return to their local communities [ 28 , 29 ].

The study of medical tourism companies, because of their intermediary role in facilitating medical travel, is an important component of the turn toward more empirically-informed and socially situated studies of medical tourism. To date, researchers studying medical tourism companies have paid particular attention to medical tourism companies based in the United States [ 30 – 32 ]. Journalists mention the existence of various medical tourism companies in Canada, and several articles in peer-reviewed publications identify different medical tourism companies in Canada, but there is limited scholarly research examining the medical tourism industry in Canada [ 33 – 35 ]. This article responds to a gap in scholarship and seeks to promote increased understanding of medical tourism in Canada. The text provides a detailed account of where defunct Canadian medical tourism companies were based, the destination sites they marketed to clients, the health services they promoted, and what they advertised in addition to medical procedures. This topic was addressed by compiling, between 2006 and 2011, a database of medical tourism companies based in Canada. The database contains companies marketing health services at international health care facilities and functioning as medical tourism agencies. It does not include websites that simply provide information about medical tourism. Once a database of medical tourism companies was established, content analysis of company websites was used to: 1) identify and document where in Canada particular medical tourism companies are based; 2) identify and summarize the destination countries to which these businesses indicate they send clients; 3) identify and record medical procedures, tests, and treatments marketed by these businesses; 4) identify and summarize the core marketing message of each of these companies; and 5) address whether medical tourism companies are involved in booking flights, arranging accommodations at hotels and resorts, and offering holidays at resorts, side trips, holiday excursions, visits to local landmarks and other activities often associated with the word, "tourism". The social science method of content analysis was used to address these five topics by analyzing websites of medical tourism companies. After content analysis was completed, medical tourism companies that currently market health care abroad were distinguished from defunct businesses. Medical tourism companies remaining in business are examined elsewhere. Companies that have ceased operations are the focus of this article. Unlike previous contributions to the study of transnational medical travel, the purpose of this article is to identify and analyze medical tourism companies that have exited the marketplace for transnational medical travel. In addition to its analytic function, the paper has historical value by capturing a turbulent period in the medical tourism marketplace and examining those Canadian businesses that are no longer involved in competing for clients. Medical tourism is often described as an industry with a rapidly expanding client base. This paper offers a more complicated account of the market for medical tourism by revealing that of all the medical tourism companies in Canada that could be identified over the last five years, approximately half of them are no longer in business.

Development of a database of medical tourism companies located in Canada

Before analyzing websites of individual medical tourism companies it was first necessary to develop a database of all medical tourism companies with head offices or affiliate offices in Canada. Several methods were used to build this database. From 2006 to 2011, repeated Internet searches using Google Search Engine played a key role in locating medical tourism companies situated in Canada. Many businesses came into existence over the course of this study and were not identifiable during initial searches for medical tourism companies in Canada. Such phrases as "medical tourism company Canada", "medical tourism agency Canada", and "medical tourist Canada" were used as search terms. Searches for newspaper articles addressing such topics as "medical tourism", "medical tourism Canada", and "cross-border healthcare Canada" provided additional leads [ 36 – 40 ]. Newspaper articles were located using repeated searches on Google News Canada and ProQuest Newsstand. Newspaper reports of medical tourism companies situated in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec played an important role in tracking the emergence of medical tourism companies across Canada. Google alerts for such terms as "medical tourism Canada", "stem cell tourism Canada", "transplant tourism Canada", and "global health care Canada" also generated extensive news reportage of Canadian medical tourism companies and Canadian patients travelling abroad for care. In addition, searches of an Industry Canada website that lists federally incorporated businesses in Canada yielded three company names. However, despite repeated efforts to locate these businesses it was not possible to find company websites, news media coverage concerning these businesses, or other signs indicating that these companies successfully entered the marketplace for promoting transnational medical travel. These companies are therefore not included in the final tally of twenty-five defunct companies with identifiable websites. Once company websites were identified they were bookmarked and added to the database. To facilitate content analysis, company websites were printed in their entirety. Content analysis was performed by analyzing printed versions of company websites and by periodically revisiting the Internet websites of medical tourism companies. Electronically archived websites or printouts of all identified medical tourism companies are available for review. Readers interested in assessing the content analysis provided in this article are welcome to access the primary data of the company websites.

Comparing the database to other lists of medical tourism companies in Canada

Internet searches resulted in the identification of several sources providing partial lists of medical tourism companies found in Canada. For example, in 2006, Maclean's , a popular news magazine in Canada, published an article that identified eight medical tourism companies in Canada [ 41 ]. Another list identifying five medical tourism businesses was found on a website promoting private health care alternatives and out-of-country health care options for Canadians [ 42 ]. A third source listed eight Canadian medical tourism companies within a longer record of medical tourism companies based in countries around the world [ 43 ]. Locating these lists permitted comparison of my database with other summaries of medical tourism companies based in Canada.

Content analysis of websites of medical tourism companies

After developing the database content analysis was used to study and analyze websites of all identified medical tourism companies based in Canada. Company websites were analyzed using pre-determined analytic categories; content was extracted for each category. The social science method of content analysis, as the phrase suggests, involves studying the content of such media as magazines, newspapers, films, television programs, and interview transcripts [ 44 ]. Content can be analyzed for general themes and concepts, images, particular statements, and other features. For the purpose of this study, medical tourism company websites were searched for specific pieces of information or website content. There were five main components to content analysis.

Location of medical tourism companies

First, I identified the city or town and province that medical tourism company websites identified as their business address within Canada. Identifying the location of medical tourism companies typically involved finding and then selecting such website tabs as "Contact us", "Contact information", or "Address" and recording information indicating where companies are located. Gathering this information resulted in a detailed record of where in Canada now-defunct medical tourism companies were based. In particular, it helped establish where they clustered. Though medical tourism companies in some respects are based "on" the internet, the physical location of companies matters for numerous reasons. For example, companies are governed by the legislation and regulations of the specific regions in which they are located. Within Canada, companies must operate according to both federal and provincial legislation; the province in which companies are situated informs which legal standards can be applied to them.

Destination countries and health care facilities

Second, I recorded the destination countries and/or destination health care facilities that now-inoperative medical tourism companies once marketed to their clients. Some medical tourism company websites identified particular hospitals and clinics. Other websites mentioned destination nations or networks of countries but did not list specific medical facilities. Websites were analyzed to develop a better understanding of destinations promoted by Canadian medical tourism companies.

Types of advertised medical procedures and medical specialties

Third, to provide insight into the types of health care packages medical tourism companies promoted, I recorded medical procedures or specialties marketed by medical tourism companies. Some companies provided lengthy lists of procedures. Other companies identified particular areas of medicine without listing specific procedures. Other businesses mentioned clinical specializations such as cardiology and gastroenterology or listed illnesses rather than focusing upon distinct medical procedures. This topic was explored to better understand what types of tests and treatments medical tourism companies marketed to prospective clients.

Core marketing messages of medical tourism companies

Fourth, websites of medical tourism companies were reviewed for statements that best encapsulated each company's core marketing message. These statements were typically located on the home page of company websites or in such sections as "About us", "What We Do", or "Mission statement". Core marketing messages were recorded and then summarized in brief point form. This topic was studied to develop a detailed account of the market niche now-defunct Canadian medical tourism companies attempted to occupy while they remained operational.

"Tourism" component of medical tourism

Fifth, company websites were reviewed for information about involvement of these businesses in booking air and/or ground transport, reserving hotel accommodations, and organizing tours, side trips, and/or other holiday excursions. This topic was studied in an attempt to determine whether holidays, side trips and other tourism-related activities were marketed in addition to health care packages.

In most instances, websites provided detailed information for each study question or category of content analysis. Data was recorded in tabular form. Where websites did not provide pertinent information, "NA" ("Not Addressed" in abbreviated form) was noted in tables.

The author of this article performed content analysis. The paper was fact-check three times by the author and feedback was solicited from two senior colleagues. All websites are disclosed and electronically archived. Readers interested in assessing the quality of content analysis have access to the primary data.

Distinguishing functioning from inoperative medical tourism companies

Following content analysis of all identified medical tourism company websites, in February and March 2011, internet searches, searches of an Industry Canada database [ 45 ] identifying the status of federally incorporated businesses in Canada, phone calls, and emails were used to distinguish active medical tourism businesses from medical tourism companies with expired websites, non-functioning email accounts, and discontinued phone numbers. Email and phone queries were used to determine whether businesses remained in operation. According to research ethics guidelines in both Canada, where this research project was initiated, and the United States, where it was completed, contacting a company to see if it remains in business does not fall within the scope of research requiring research ethics board review because there was no attempt to ask company owners or employees about their role within these companies, explore their attitudes toward medical tourism, investigate their workplace activities, or otherwise treat them as research subjects [ 46 ].

Using Internet searches, searches for newspaper articles mentioning medical tourism companies, and Google Alerts, it was possible to locate a total of twenty-five Canada-based medical tourism companies that have ceased sending their clients to hospitals and clinics located outside Canada. In contrast, operational medical tourism companies include an estimated 18 businesses marketing medical travel to such countries as Costa Rica, India, and Thailand and 7 businesses marketing regional, cross-border health services available in the United States as well as travel to private clinics within Canada. Several additional businesses are not comprehensive medical tourism companies but market bariatric surgery procedures performed in facilities based outside Canada as well as so-called "Liberation therapy" performed in India. Excluding these latter "boutique" businesses, approximately half of all medical tourism companies in Canada remain operational and the other half has disappeared from the marketplace.

Companies were labeled inoperative if websites were deactivated and phone lines were disconnected, company representatives reported that they were no longer accepting clients and had halted operations, they had lost their status as federally incorporated companies, or seven phone calls and/or emails failed to generate any response. It is possible that businesses that at present are not going concerns could at some point build a client base and begin sending customers to international medical facilities. If this occurs, in future analyses these companies will be reclassified as functioning medical tourism companies. My research provides a "snapshot" of Canada's medical tourism "landscape" at a particular moment; it is important to appreciate that the medical tourism industry in Canada is in flux. It is reasonable to assume that this industry is going to change over time as some companies emerge, other businesses disappear, and other companies transform themselves in response to client demand and perceived marketing opportunities.

Of the inoperative companies that I was able to locate, twenty-five had active, functioning websites at some point between 2006 and 2011. Additional file 1 identifies these businesses, provides website links, and contains Webcite references. Three additional companies, St. Luke Medical Tourism Center of North America Inc., Medical Tourism China, and International Medical Travel Corporation, were identified in the Government of Canada's database of businesses federally incorporated in Canada but do not appear to have had websites, issued press releases, or attracted any news media coverage. It is unclear whether these companies ever had clients even though they were incorporated businesses presumably established for the purpose of marketing medical tourism. These three businesses are noted but they are not included in the total tally of twenty-five defunct medical tourism companies. With no websites to analyze, and no indications that they had ever sent clients to international destinations, there was no basis for including them in the content analysis process.

Locations of medical tourism companies

Of the twenty-five companies that established websites and were studied using the method of content analysis, thirteen were located in Ontario, seven were based in British Columbia, four were situated in Quebec, and one was located in Alberta. Websites of some Canadian medical tourism companies identify affiliate offices or company representatives located outside Canada. Where such information was provided I recorded where company representatives based outside Canada were situated.

Table 1 lists company names, identifies where in Canada these businesses were located, and documents affiliates and representatives in those instances where companies had offices or agents situated outside Canada.

Of the twenty-five companies, fourteen marketed medical procedures at just one medical facility or at several medical facilities within one country. Three companies marketed health care in two destination nations, two companies advertised procedures in three countries, two companies promoted health services in four countries, one company marketed procedures in five countries, and one of the dental tourism companies marketed dental procedures in seven countries. Two companies did not provide details concerning where they sent their clients.

The twenty-five medical tourism companies marketed health services in twenty-one different nations. Twelve companies marketed medical travel to India; four listed Thailand as a destination site; three companies listed Singapore; Canada, Cuba, the United States, the Philippines, Costa Rica, El Salvador, China, Malaysia, and Mexico were all twice listed as destination sites; and Morocco, Russia, Hungary, Colombia, Taiwan, France, Turkey, Dominican Republic, and Panama were all listed once. Listing of countries as destinations does not mean that any residents of Canada ever selected these particular destinations as sites for medical care. However, documentation of advertised health care destinations provides insight into the partnerships or networks medical tourism companies choose to market to their prospective client base. While they do not provide information about actual flows of patients across national borders, they reveal how medical tourism companies that were based in Canada promoted health facilities in other nations. Table 2 identifies locations of destination facilities marketed on company websites.

Types of advertised medical procedures

Twenty-two companies marketed many different kinds of medical procedures and can be characterized as "generalist" medical tourism companies. They provide lengthy lists of different types of medical procedures. Three businesses marketed specialized services and restricted themselves to a niche position within the medical tourism industry. Of these latter businesses, two companies limited themselves to marketing dental procedures and one company advertised organ transplants in Colombia. Table 3 summarizes health services marketed by medical tourism companies.

Though there were variations in core marketing messages of medical tourism companies, most businesses emphasized affordability of care, timely access to medical care, and high-quality care. In total, of twenty-five businesses, twenty companies marketed access to affordable care, seventeen businesses advertized timely access to care, and twenty-one websites emphasized high-quality care. The few companies that did not mention all three features offered a subset of these offerings.

Table 4 provides summaries of medical tourism companies' core marketing messages. Additional file 2 provides summaries of core marketing messages in addition to extended excerpts from company websites. These lengthy excerpts are intended to demonstrate the empirical basis for identifying and summarizing core marketing messages.

Core marketing messages rarely emphasized the possibility of patients undergoing medical procedures while also enjoying holiday excursions. However, activities commonly associated with the concept of tourism were marketed by more than half of the companies. Sixteen medical tourism companies offered to arrange air travel and/or organize ground transport. Twenty companies marketed the service of booking hotel reservations. Seventeen businesses advertised tours, side trips, and other holiday excursions in addition to medical care. This latter finding will not resolve disagreements about whether "medical tourism" is a suitable term for academic analysis. However, it does reveal that many medical tourism companies in Canada market both medical care and leisure or "holiday" activities commonly associated with tourism. Table 5 identifies whether medical tourism companies booked travel arrangements, arranged hotel accommodations, and offered holiday excursions, side trips, visits to local attractions, and other "tourist-like" excursions.

Principal Results

Value in studying functioning and inoperative medical tourism companies.

To date, there are no published studies that identify by company name, analyze in systematic fashion, disclose in transparent manner, and permanently archive websites of medical tourism companies with head offices or affiliate offices in Canada. Previous articles mention several medical travel facilitators based in Canada but do not provide a comprehensive overview of identifiable medical tourism companies, disclose their websites, analyze their business operations, and clearly distinguish between functioning and defunct companies [ 47 ]. This article provides insight into those medical tourism companies in Canada that came into existence and at some point ceased operations between 2006-2011. To some individuals, identifying and analyzing medical tourism companies that have exited the marketplace might seem like an unproductive exercise. However, identifying and analyzing medical tourism companies that have ceased functioning serves two purposes. First, it contributes to the overall analysis of Canada's medical tourism industry rather than presenting just a limited account of businesses successfully involved in advertising health care at international destinations. Analyzing companies that ceased functioning permits insight into where they were based, what health care procedures they marketed, where they proposed sending clients, what part of the marketplace they sought to occupy, and whether they advertised tourism-related activities such as offering side trips and holiday excursions in addition to booking flights and accommodations. Second, and perhaps more importantly, identifying and examining inoperative medical tourism companies challenges the hyperbolic marketing rhetoric surrounding the topic of medical tourism and could play a role in promoting more balanced ethical, social, and economic analysis of the subject [ 48 ]. Not all medical tourism companies remain going concerns. Studying websites of medical tourism companies provides no insight into how many Canadians seek care beyond Canada's borders. Nonetheless, perhaps the disappearance of an estimated 50% of all medical tourism companies based in Canada should prompt questions about the overall size of the marketplace within Canada for international medical travel. It is conceivable that the market for medical care abroad is smaller than anticipated and some medical tourism companies fail because their prospective clientele is less numerous than assumed [ 49 ]. Another possibility is that of the many medical tourism companies established in Canada, only a limited number of them have successfully developed significant client bases. It is also conceivable that some medical tourism companies were commercially successful but closed for non-financial reasons. This study does not attempt to address these questions but it should prompt critical reflection on the size and evolving shape of Canada's marketplace for medical tourism. Future research will attempt to address the question of why some medical tourism companies exit the marketplace whereas other businesses appear to be successful at attracting clients and expanding their operations.

Key findings from analysis of websites of Canadian medical tourism companies are that twenty-five companies established for the purpose of sending residents of Canada to medical facilities in other nations are no longer operational, most defunct medical tourism companies are "generalist" rather than "specialist" businesses, and many companies offer tourism-related activities in addition to marketing medical procedures.

Medical tourism company "hotspots"

Of the twenty-five companies with websites, thirteen businesses based in Ontario are now defunct, seven companies in British Columbia ceased operations, four companies in Quebec are closed, and one company in Alberta did not respond to calls and emails and is presumed closed. This study does not address how many individuals travel from Canadian provinces to international medical destinations. However, it is worth noting the concentration of defunct medical travel companies in Ontario, British Columbia, and Québec. These provinces also happen to be the three provinces with the greatest number of medical tourism companies still functioning. Perhaps they should be characterized as "hotspots" for both the establishment and closure of Canadian medical tourism companies. Future research will explore why numerous medical tourism companies have been established in some Canadian provinces whereas other provinces have no businesses involved in the medical tourism industry.

Choice of marketing messages

There likely are numerous reasons why medical tourism companies based in Canada use particular marketing messages. Most clients of these businesses must pay out-of-pocket for private medical care provided by hospitals and clinics based outside Canada. Though there are some circumstances in which provincial health insurance plans will fund provision of elective medical procedures performed outside Canada, in most instances clients of these businesses must use personal savings to purchase treatment. It is therefore unsurprisingly that affordability of care is emphasized in marketing messages. Access to high-quality care is presumably mentioned as a way to reassure prospective clients that they should feel confident that they will receive professional care when they go abroad for treatment. This message is perhaps promoted as a way of allaying fears that going abroad for inexpensive care might increase risk of exposure to lower-quality care. Finally, the message of gaining access to "timely" health care might have particular resonance for Canadians wait-listed for orthopaedic procedures, ophthalmologic procedures, spinal surgery, bariatric surgery, and other interventions where there are sometimes considerable delays prior to obtaining access to publicly-funded health care at Canadian medical facilities. For example, Speedy Surgery Global Healthcare, one defunct company mentioned in this analysis, and Timely Medical Alternatives, a company that continues sending Canadians to hospitals and clinics in the United States as well as private health care facilities in Canada, both emphasize in their company names provision of prompt access to care. Wanting to avoid providing a reductionist, single-factor account of how medical tourism is marketed by companies based in Canada, it nonetheless seems reasonable to suggest that timely access to care abroad, in contrast to treatment delays for access to some types of care in medical procedures performed in Canada, is one marketing message likely to resonate with Canadians frustrated with wait-times for various elective procedures. In this respect, it is possible that the marketing messages used by medical tourism companies based in Canada might differ somewhat from marketing claims used by medical tourism companies located in countries where the presence of a significant private health sector means that clients with sufficient financial assets can gain prompt access to medical procedures. Comparative studies that contrast marketing messages of medical tourism companies based in different countries should provide insight into regional and national variations in the types of marketing messages used to promote medical tourism.

Generalist and specialist companies

Another finding that merits mention is that twenty-two of the twenty-five defunct medical tourism companies can be characterized as "generalist" medical tourism companies. This label means that these companies marketed multiple procedures, tests, and treatments rather than confining themselves to dental treatments or some other specialized domain of care. Even companies that offer many different services are at risk of ceasing operations. It is not known whether cessation of operations is linked to a limited client base, an overreliance on one or two health care destinations, concerns about liability, competition from other medical tourism companies, a low ratio of earnings to expenditures, or other factors. Future research will explore why some companies remain operational and other businesses cease functioning.

Closure of dental tourism companies

Both of the companies that promoted "dental tourism" are no longer operational. While this article does not address why medical tourism companies ceased operations, numerous hypotheses are worth exploring in future studies. Cost savings associated with obtaining dental care abroad might be lower than anticipated once airline tickets, ground transport, hotel accommodations, and other expenses are factored into consideration. Concerns about patient safety and quality of care might deter some Canadians from receiving dental care abroad. It is also conceivable that the practice of dentistry is not well suited to a business model that involves travel to international dental clinics. Many forms of dental care require repeat visits rather than one-time procedures. Having multiple dental procedures at one time could put patients at increased risk of complications. Staying abroad for multiple procedures would presumably increase time away from home and also generate additional expenses. Though this study offers no definitive insights into why both of Canada's dental tourism companies are defunct, it is worth noting that at present there appear to be no functioning companies in Canada that are based exclusively upon a business model of marketing dental care abroad.

Little marketing of organ transplants performed abroad

Travel abroad for the purpose of purchasing a kidney used in organ transplantation, sometimes described as "transplant tourism", receives considerable attention from both health researchers and journalists. However, of Canadian medical tourism companies no longer in operation, just one business had as its primary message the marketing of organ transplants abroad. One other company marketed organ transplants in addition to other medical procedures. It is conceivable that other medical tourism companies did not market organ transplants abroad because of fears that they might be accused of facilitating "organ brokering" or "organ trafficking"; concerns about negative news media coverage that might harm other aspects of their business; inability to identify facilities able to provide organ transplants; ethical reservations about intentionally or unintentionally participating in organ trafficking; or concerns about legal repercussions. Whatever the reason, with the exception of one business that advertised organ transplants in Colombia and one company that claimed to be able to arrange transplants in India, most now-defunct medical tourism companies in Canada did not, while they remained operational, openly market organ transplants performed in other countries.

Medical consumerism and restrictions on choice of destination nations

Another noteworthy finding is that of the twenty-five businesses with websites, fourteen of them sent their clients to just one medical facility or destination nation. In this business model, owners of medical tourism companies decide that all their clients will travel to just one location. It is conceivable that this arrangement is not an optimal business model for an industry that in many respects is built upon promoting patient choice and medical consumerism. It is possible that medical tourism companies offer more attractive options to a larger prospective clientele when they market health care facilities at multiple international destinations. Whether or not this claim is credible, it is important to note that even businesses with multiple destinations ceased operations. One dental tourism company, for example, listed seven national destinations on its website. In short, while limiting the number of medical destinations constrains choice and possibly acts as a deterrent to prospective clients, promoting choice in the form of multiple travel destinations does not ensure long-term success in the medical tourism marketplace.

Though some researchers express reservations about the phrase "medical tourism", many now-inoperative medical tourism companies in Canada marketed travel-related services such as booking air and ground transport, organizing hotel accommodations and arranging side trips, and other tourist-like activities. In this aspect of their business models, medical tourism companies resemble travel agencies. These activities provide some insight into how medical care can be connected to activities more typically associated with "traditional" forms of tourism.

Limited media coverage of defunct medical tourism companies

Whatever causes medical tourism companies to close, it is important to note that in Canada a substantial number of medical tourism companies have exited the marketplace. The closure of approximately half of all medical tourism companies in Canada has not been previously examined and addressed by health researchers and journalists. Whereas medical tourism companies routinely issue press releases and attract news media coverage when they commence operations, these businesses typically do not issue press releases or receive news coverage when they close. Just one business, EcuMedical Resources International, generated news coverage as it ceased functioning [ 50 , 51 ]. In that company's case, several of its clients claimed that they paid EcuMedical for arranging medical procedures in the U.S. and then began receiving bills from the hospitals where they received care. Following a police investigation the two company owners were charged with multiple counts of fraud. In this case, activity that is presumably atypical in the medical tourism industry resulted in considerable local news coverage of a medical tourism company ceasing operations.

Basis for additional research

One important benefit of studying medical tourism companies by analyzing content of medical tourism company websites is that the exercise can challenge hitherto unexamined assumptions about the industry. More fine-grained analyses that draw upon multiple research methods such as surveys, in-depth interviews, analysis of news media coverage, and participant observation should generate additional insights into medical tourism companies in Canada. For example, quantitative studies should provide insight into how many Canadians go abroad for care, where they seek treatment, and what types of procedures they select. Identifying Canada's medical tourism companies, providing their websites, describing their operations and business models, charting where they send patients abroad, summarizing the procedures they advertise, and explicating what services they offer in addition to organizing health care packages should facilitate further studies into Canada's medical tourism industry. It should also be of practical use to scholars interested in comparing medical tourism companies in Canada with similar businesses situated in other countries. For example, researchers in Australia, England, the United States and elsewhere might find it helpful to compare and contrast Canada's medical tourism industry with the emergence of medical tourism facilitators in their home countries. In addition, these findings should assist scholars interested in evaluating the quality of health-related information presented on the websites of medical tourism companies, and the use of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and various forms of social media by medical tourism companies situated in Canada. Scholars interested in using various research methods to study medical tourism companies in Canada should now have a better sense of where to focus their attention. To facilitate research by other scholars, websites or printouts of websites analyzed in this article have been electronically archived in a publicly accessible database.

Limitations

Findings limited to medical tourism companies based in canada.

This article is based upon content analysis of websites of medical tourism companies with home offices or affiliate offices in Canada. It does not provide insight into medical tourism companies located in other nations. This study offers a set of categories or framework that can be used to study medical tourism companies in other nations. However, using content analysis to study websites of medical tourism companies based outside Canada might generate results very different from this study's findings.

Possibility of undiscovered websites

Internet searches, review of news reports, review of government records of federally incorporated companies in Canada, and examination of existing lists of medical tourism companies in Canada were all used in an attempt both to identify the total number of medical tourism companies established in Canada and distinguish medical tourism companies that are currently functioning from companies that are no longer involved in sending clients abroad for medical care. However, it is possible that some medical tourism companies were not identified in these searches. Medical tourism companies use company websites, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and other media to market international care, and internet searches are therefore a useful tool to use when trying to find medical tourism companies. Nonetheless, it is conceivable that some medical tourism companies based in Canada do not advertise using the internet or that repeated searches overlooked some businesses.

Possibility that non-responders might remain in business

Companies that did not respond to seven phone calls and/or emails over a three week period of repeated queries were listed as defunct. Consultants to the medical tourism industry recommend that calls to medical tourism companies should be promptly returned within twenty-four hours and preferably within two hours [ 52 ]. However, it is possible that some medical tourism companies continue to function even though they did not reply to multiple efforts to contact them. Establishing that businesses have ceased functioning in the absence of obvious signs such as companies losing their status as federally incorporated businesses in the end involved exercising judgement.

Investigative research methods might challenge claims made by medical tourism company websites

The study is limited insofar as it analyzes content found on medical tourism company websites and does not question the veracity of various claims. For example, one medical tourism company website states that clients can select clinics from among seven different countries. Someone using the tools of investigative journalism might discover that companies do not have business relations with all the facilities that they mention as international health care destinations. Such questions were bracketed from this study but they are worth pursuing in other studies. It is conceivable that some companies make exaggerated claims about destination facilities and advertised medical services and do not have experience coordinating particular health care packages and sending clients to advertised destinations. Content analysis, for the purpose of this article, accepted statements made by medical tourism companies. Such an approach, though it provides insight into how medical tourism companies in Canada advertise their services, would benefit from being complemented by investigative approaches that critically examine the credibility of claims made by medical tourism companies.

Studying Defunct Companies

This article focuses upon medical tourism companies that ceased operations. Performing a content analysis of websites of defunct companies could be seen as a limitation of the study, though the point of the exercise was to investigate and analyze not only medical tourism companies that are flourishing in a highly competitive marketplace but also to analyze websites of companies that have ceased sending clients to international health care destinations.

Comparison With Prior Work

Focus on canada.

To date, most studies of medical tourism companies have focused upon websites of medical tourism facilitators based in the United States. This paper makes a meaningful contribution to scholarship by providing content analysis of medical tourism companies with home offices or affiliate branches in Canada. The local, regional, and national settings within which medical tourism companies are situated matters. It should not be assumed that medical tourism companies in Canada advertise the same health care packages or target the same prospective client base as businesses in Australia, the United States, and elsewhere.

Disclosure of Primary Sources

This article differs from previous work on medical tourism companies by identifying particular businesses, performing content analysis of their websites, and enabling readers to compare this analysis with the primary sources of medical tourism company websites. This step, by linking content analysis to identified primary sources, promotes transparency in research and allows other scholars to corroborate or challenge findings described in this study. Identifying particular companies and providing content analysis of their websites might help other researchers use their disciplinary methods and theories to study Canada's medical tourism industry.

Analyzing Company Websites

This article can be distinguished from most prior work on medical tourism due to its emphasis on content analysis of medical tourism company websites. Medical tourism companies conduct much of their business using the internet [ 53 – 55 ]. Reliance on the internet as a medium for communication, marketing, and interaction with clients means that much can be learned about medical tourism companies through careful analysis of their websites. Scholarly analysis of medical tourism companies should not be confined to content analysis of medical tourism company websites. Nonetheless, this mode of research makes an important contribution to the study of transnational medical travel.

Studying Inoperative Medical Tourism Companies

Finally, to date scholarship on medical tourism companies has examined companies currently engaged in the business of sending clients to international health care destinations. This article differs from previous work by identifying medical tourism companies that have ceased functioning. Identifying medical tourism companies that are inoperative raises questions about the nature and future direction of this industry. Many commentators assume that the medical tourism industry is in a period of unprecedented growth [ 56 ]. This article suggests that while the overall medical tourism industry might be expanding, the long-term success of individual medical tourism companies is not assured. The closure of twenty-five medical tourism companies in Canada might reflect a period of industry consolidation in which some companies flourish while others disappear or are subsumed by other companies. It is also possible that interest within Canada for travelling abroad to international medical facilities is not as large as is commonly assumed and these companies ceased functioning because many businesses are competing for a limited client base. Another possibility is that many of the companies erred when they based their operational model on sending clients to just one medical facility or country. It is conceivable that prospective clients want to have increased choice in where they travel for care and a business model that constrains options serves to deter clients that might otherwise consider going abroad for health care. And finally, since individuals considering going abroad for medical care can use the Internet to gain direct access to international hospitals and clinics, it is possible that medical tourism companies play a relatively minor role in the overall marketplace for medical travel. There might be less of a need for the service of medical travel facilitation than many entrepreneurs assume. Future research will explore in greater detail why the medical tourism companies identified in this study ceased functioning.

This study identifies twenty-five defunct Canadian medical tourism companies. Researchers will likely disagree concerning how to interpret some aspects of these findings. Individuals supportive of the Canada Health Act and publicly funded access to medically necessary health services and critical of the privatized, for-profit health care marketed by medical tourism companies might argue that the failure of twenty-five medical tourism companies is a sign of limited interest within Canada for medical travel. They might claim that news media coverage of the phenomenon of medical tourism far outpaces the actual significance of the topic. In contrast, proponents of for-profit, private health care might assert that in every competitive marketplace some companies prosper while other businesses disappear. Whatever lessons can be extracted from the closure of twenty-five medical tourism companies established in Canada, it seems reasonable to suggest that establishing a medical tourism company in Canada provides no assurance of commercial success.

This study accomplishes several goals. Medical tourism companies use the internet to market health services to prospective clients. Their websites provide valuable information about where medical tourism companies are located within Canada, what countries and facilities they select as destination sites, what health services they advertise, how they position themselves in a competitive national and global marketplace, and what travel-related services they promote in addition to marketing health care. Content analysis of medical tourism company websites permits development of a detailed account of the current state of Canada's medical tourism industry. This article reviews defunct medical tourism facilitators in Canada. Websites of operational medical travel companies based in Canada are examined elsewhere. Various research methods and theories can be used to build upon the analysis provided here.

Many researchers lament the lack of empirical research into the study of medical tourism. This article addresses these concerns and opens new avenues for the study of medical tourism companies, medical travelers, and international health care destinations. It also reveals the importance of studying medical tourism in Canada and elsewhere, and not making the error of thinking that the medical tourism industry is primarily a product of the large population of uninsured individuals in the United States. Many researchers and other interested parties will likely be surprised to learn just how many medical tourism companies have emerged in Canada, a country where residents have publicly funded access to a large basket of medically necessary health services. They might be equally surprised to learn how many of these businesses have come and gone and no longer market transnational medical travel to Canadians. Establishing just how many residents of Canada use the services promoted by medical tourism companies based in Canada, examining what happens to medical travelers when they go abroad for care, and learning more about their experiences once they return to Canada will have to await additional studies by researchers from a variety of disciplines. This study attempts to make a substantial contribution to the study of the Canadian medical tourism industry. It also provides sign posts that should be of practical use to health researchers and other individuals interested in exploring ethical, legal, social, cultural, economic, and public health implications of Canada's medical tourism industry.

Author's contributions

LT is the sole author of this article. He designed the study, conducted content analysis of medical travel company websites, and wrote the manuscript.

Author's information

The author studies ethical and social issues related to transnational medical travel and the emergence of a global marketplace in health services.

Leigh Turner

Associate Professor, Center for Bioethics and School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

N504 Boynton, 410 Church Street, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A., 55455

Ph 612 626-4830

Fax 612 624-9108

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Acknowledgements and Funding

Study of Canada's medical tourism industry was facilitated by a Distinguished Visiting Fellowship (2006-2007) provided by the Comparative Program on Health and Society, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. The Lupina Foundation provides funding for the Comparative Program on Health and Society. Analysis of Canadian medical tourism companies was also enabled by a William Dawson Scholar award (2006-2008) and additional sources of funding provided by McGill University. I wish to express appreciation for these sources of financial support. In addition, I wish to thank former colleagues at the University of Toronto as well as within the Biomedical Ethics Unit at McGill.

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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leigh Turner .

Additional information

Competing interests.

The author declares that he has no competing interests.

Electronic supplementary material

12992_2011_138_moesm1_esm.doc.

Additional file 1: Medical Tourism Companies in Canada, Website URLs, and Webcited References. This file lists in alphabetical order defunct medical tourism companies based in Canada, the website locations these companies used when operational (some links no longer function), and Webcite links that can be used to access archived websites. (DOC 58 KB)

12992_2011_138_MOESM2_ESM.DOC

Additional file 2: Core Marketing Messages of Canadian Medical Tourism Companies. This file contains brief summaries of core marketing messages of defunct medical tourism companies based in Canada. It also contains excerpts of marketing messages found on websites of these companies. (DOC 69 KB)

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Turner, L. Canadian medical tourism companies that have exited the marketplace: Content analysis of websites used to market transnational medical travel. Global Health 7 , 40 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8603-7-40

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Received : 09 June 2011

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8603-7-40

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Medical Expenses 2023

From: Canada Revenue Agency

RC4065(E) 23

The CRA's publications and personalized correspondence are available in braille, large print, etext, or MP3. For more information, go to About multiple formats or call 1-800-959-8281 .

Find out if this guide is for you

This guide is for persons with medical expenses and their supporting family members. The guide gives information on eligible medical expenses you can claim on your tax return.

This guide uses plain language to explain the most common tax situations. The guide is for information only and does not replace the law.

General information

The medical expense tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit that you can use to reduce the tax that you paid or may have to pay. If you paid for healthcare expenses, you may be able to claim them as eligible medical expenses on your tax return. These expenses include a wide range of products, procedures and services, such as:

• medical supplies
• dental care
• travel expenses

Generally, you can claim all amounts paid, even if they were not paid in Canada.

You can only claim the part of an eligible expense for which you have not been or will not be reimbursed.

How to claim medical expenses

You can claim medical expenses on line 33099 or 33199 of your tax return under Step 5 – Federal tax.

Line 33099 – You can claim the total eligible medical expenses you or your spouse or common-law partner paid for any of the following persons:

• your spouse or common-law partner
• your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s children who were under 18 years of age at the end of the tax year

Line 33199 – You can claim the part of eligible medical expenses you or your spouse or common-law partner paid for any of the following persons who depended on you for support:

• your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s children who were 18 years of age or older at the end of the tax year, or grandchildren
• your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, or nieces who were residents of Canada at any time in the year

You have to calculate, for each dependant, the medical expenses that you are claiming on line 33199.

Amounts you can claim

Line 33099 – You can claim the total of the eligible expenses minus the lesser of the following amounts:

• 3% of your net income ( line 23600 of your tax return)

Line 33199 – You can claim the total of the eligible expenses minus the lesser of the following amounts:

• 3% of your dependant's net income (line 23600 of their tax return)

The maximum provincial or territorial amount you can claim for medical expenses may differ depending on where you live. For more information, see the information guide for your province or territory of residence in your income tax package. If you live in Quebec, visit Revenu Québec .

Period for which you can claim these expenses

You can claim eligible medical expenses paid in any 12-month period ending in 2023 and not claimed by you or anyone else in 2022. For a person who died in 2023 , a claim can be made for expenses paid in any 24-month period that includes the date of death if the expenses were not claimed for any other year.

Richard and Pauline have two children, Jen and Rob. They have reviewed their medical expenses and decided that the 12-month period ending in 2023  they will use to calculate their claim is July 1, 2022  to June 30, 2023 . They had the following expenses:

Since Jen is under 18, Richard and Pauline can combine her medical expenses with theirs, for a total of $4,300. Either Richard or Pauline can claim this amount on line 33099 of their tax return (Step 5 – Federal tax). Since Rob is over 18 , his medical expenses should be claimed on line 33199.

Pauline’s net income (on line 23600 of her return) is $32,000. She calculates 3% of that amount, which is $960. Because the result is less than $2,635, she subtracts $960 from $4,300. The difference is $3,340, which is the amount she could claim on her tax return.

Richard’s net income is $48,000. He calculates 3% of that amount, which is $1,440. Because the result is less than $2,635, he subtracts $1,440 from $4,300. The difference is $2,860, which is the amount he could claim on his tax return. In this case, it is better for Pauline to claim all the expenses for Richard, herself, and their daughter Jen on line 33099.

To decide who should claim the medical expenses for Rob on line 33199 , Richard and Pauline will have to make the same calculation using Rob’s net income.

Credits or deductions related to medical expenses

Refundable medical expense supplement.

The refundable medical expense supplement is a refundable tax credit available to working individuals with low incomes and high medical expenses. You may be able to claim this credit if all of the following conditions apply:

• You made a claim for medical expenses on line 33200 of your tax return (Step 5 – Federal tax) or for the disability supports deduction on line 21500 of your tax return.
• You were resident in Canada throughout 2023.
• You were 18 years of age or older at the end of 2023.

You must also meet the criteria related to income.

For more information, go to  line 45200 – Refundable medical expense supplement .

Disability supports deduction

The person with the impairment in physical or mental functions may be able to claim some medical expenses as a disability supports deduction. They can claim these expenses on either line 21500 or line 33099 , or split the claim between these two lines, as long as the total of the amounts claimed is not more than the expenses paid.

For the eligibility criteria, the list of the eligible expenses, or more information, see Guide RC4064, Disability-Related Information .

Certain medical expenses require a certification

In this guide, the CRA identifies the medical expenses that have to be certified by a medical practitioner. Medical practitioners include a wide range of health professionals, such as doctors, pharmacists, and nurses. To view the list of practitioners who can certify medical expenses, go to Authorized medical practitioners for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit .

Common medical expenses you can claim

You can claim the following items medical expenses on line 33099 or use them to calculate an amount on line 33199 . Any certification needed is specified. This list is not complete.

For more information, see Income Tax Folio S1-F1-C1, Medical Expense Tax Credit .

Attendant care and care in a facility

Attendant care is care given by an attendant who does personal tasks which a person cannot do for themselves. Attendant care can be received in certain types of facilities.

You can claim amounts paid to an attendant only if the attendant was not your spouse or common-law partner and was 18 years of age or older when the amounts were paid.

If an individual issues a receipt for attendant care services, the receipt must include their social insurance number.

Who can claim these expenses

You can claim as medical expenses the amounts you or your spouse or common-law partner paid for attendant care or care in a facility. The expenses must have been paid for the care of any of the following persons:

• a dependant

A dependant is someone who depended on you for support and is any of the following persons:

• your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s child or grandchild
• your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece who lived in Canada at any time in the year

Amounts you can claim as medical expenses

Full-time care or specialized care.

Generally, you can claim the entire amount you paid for care at any of the following facilities:

• nursing homes (full-time care)
• schools, institutions, or other places (providing care or care and training)

The care is condifered to be full-time care when a person needs constant care and attendance.

Other places could include an outpatient clinic, such as a detoxification clinic; however, they do not include a recreational facility, such as a residential summer camp, even if it caters to persons with disabilities.

Generally, you cannot claim the entire amount you paid for a retirement home or a home for seniors. However, you can claim salaries and wages for care in such facilities if the care recipient qualifies for the disability tax credit (see Salaries and wages ).

What is meant by nursing home  – A nursing home is generally considered to be a facility that gives full-time care, including 24-hour nursing care, to individuals who are unable to care for themselves. Any facility could be considered a nursing home if it has the same features and characteristics as a nursing home.

All regular fees paid for full-time care in a nursing home or for specialized care or training in an institution are eligible as medical expenses, including fees for all of the following:

• accommodation
• nursing care
• administration fees
• maintenance fees
• social programming and activities fees

However, extra personal expenses (such as hairdresser fees) are not eligible.

Salaries and wages

You may be able to claim the fees for salaries and wages paid for attendant care services or care or supervision in any of the following facilities:

• self-contained domestic establishments (such as your private home)
• retirement homes, homes for seniors, or other institutions that typically provide part-time attendant care
• group homes in Canada
• nursing homes (special rules apply to this type of facility; see the chart )

Eligibility for the disability tax credit may be a requirement to claim fees for salaries and wages as medical expenses. See the reference to Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, in the chart .

Expenses you can claim – You may be able to claim as medical expenses the salaries and wages paid to all employees who do the following tasks or services:

• food preparation
• housekeeping services for a resident’s personal living space
• laundry services for a resident’s personal items
• health care (registered nurse, practical nurse, certified health care aide, personal support worker)
• activities (social programmer)
• salon services (hairdresser, manicurist, pedicurist) if included in the monthly fee
• transportation (driver)
• security for a secured unit

If you are receiving attendant care services in your home, you can only claim for the period when you are at home and need care or help. For an expense to be eligible as a medical expense, you must either:

• be eligible for the disability tax credit
• have a written certification from a medical practitioner that states the services are necessary

Expenses you cannot claim – You cannot claim the cost of any of the following:

• rent (except the part of rent for services that help a person with daily tasks, such as laundry and housekeeping)
• cleaning supplies
• other operating costs (such as the maintenance of common areas and outside grounds)
• salaries and wages paid to employees such as administrators, receptionists, groundskeepers, janitors (for common areas), and maintenance staff

Sample statement for attendant care expenses

To claim attendant care expenses paid to a facility such as a retirement home, you have to send the CRA a detailed breakdown from the facility.

The breakdown must clearly show the amounts paid for staff salaries that apply to the tasks and services listed under Expenses you can claim . The breakdown should also take into account any subsidies that reduce the attendant care expenses (unless the subsidy is included in income and is not deductible from income).

The following sample statements show the detailed information the CRA needs.

Based on the above statement, Stephen’s eligible attendant care expenses are $8,893.

Based on the above statement, Jamie’s eligible attendant care expenses are $5,877. The amount of eligible expenses that Jamie can claim was reduced because of the subsidies received.

Special rules when claiming the disability amount

There are special rules when claiming the disability amount and attendant care as medical expenses. For information on claiming attendant care and the disability amount, see the chart below.

Type of certification needed when claiming both attendant care as medical expenses and the disability amount

The following chart shows the certification you need to claim attendant care as a medical expenses on line 33099 or 33199 of your tax return (Step 5 – Federal tax) and if you can also claim the disability amount on line 31600 or line 31800 .

In all cases , for you to claim the disability amount, the CRA has to approve Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate. Part A of Form T2201 can be completed using the digital form, by phone, or by paper form. For more information on Form T2201, the disability tax credit, and the disability amount, go to Disability tax credit .

Calculate your net federal tax by completing Step 5 of your tax return to find out what is more beneficial for you. You can also see the examples below.

If you claim the fees paid to a nursing home for full-time care as a medical expense on line 33099 or 33199 of your tax return (Step 5 – Federal tax), no one (including yourself) can claim the disability amount for the same person.

You can claim the disability amount together with the portion of the nursing home fees that relate only to salaries and wages for attendant care (up to the limit indicated in the chart above). However, you must provide a breakdown of the amounts charged by the nursing home showing the portion of payments that relate to attendant care.

Choosing what is more beneficial

The following examples show two ways to calculate your net federal tax using Step 5 – Federal tax of your tax return, in order to determine what is more beneficial for you.

Dali is 38 years old and lives in their own home. Dali's only income is a disability pension of $32,000. Dali's doctor has certified in writing that they are dependent on others for their own personal need because of a physical impairment. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has approved Form T2201 for Dali. Dali pays their 43-year-old neighbour, Marge, $14,000 each year to look after them full-time. Dali can claim the amounts they pay Marge for attendant care as a medical expense.

Dali has a choice to make. See the examples of Dali's tax return for a breakdown of their claims on their tax return using both options.

Dali's first option is to claim $10,000 of their attendant care expenses as a medical expense on line 33099 and claim the disability amount of $9,428 on line 31600 . Under this option, Dali would have no federal tax to pay.

Dali's second option is to claim all $14,000 of their attendant care expenses as a medical expense, but then they would not be able to claim the disability amount. Dali's federal tax would be $294.00.

For Dali, the first option is better since it reduces their basic federal tax to zero.

Judy is a 57-year-old who earned $40,000 of pension income last year. She was seriously injured in a car accident a few years ago and now needs full-time attendant care. The CRA has approved Form T2201 for her. Last year, Judy paid $32,000 to a retirement home. Of that amount, $21,000 was her share of the salaries and wages paid to staff for full-time attendant care.

Judy has a choice to make. See the examples of Judy’s tax return for a breakdown of her claims on her tax return using both options.

Her first option is to claim $10,000 of her share of the salaries and wages as medical expenses on line 33099 and claim the disability amount of $9,428 on line 31600. Under this option, she would have to pay $715.80 in federal tax.

Her second option is to claim all of her share of salaries and wages ($21,000) as a medical expense, but then she would not be allowed to claim the disability amount. Judy's federal tax would be $480.00.

For Judy, the second option is better since it reduces her basic federal tax to $480.00.

Care, treatment, and training

This section identifies most types of care, treatment and training you can claim as medical expenses.

Bone marrow transplant – reasonable amounts paid to find a compatible donor, to arrange the transplant including legal fees and insurance premiums, and reasonable travel, board and lodging expenses for the patient, the donor, and their respective attendants.

Cancer treatment in or outside Canada, given by a medical practitioner or a public or licensed private hospital.

Cosmetic surgery – generally, expenses solely for cosmetic procedures are not eligible.

An expense for a cosmetic procedure qulifies as an eligible medical expense if it is necessary for medical or reconstructive purposes, such as surgery to address a deformity related to a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease. For more information, see Common medical expenses you cannot claim .

Egg and sperm freezing and storage – to preserve one's ova (eggs) or sperm for the purpose of conceiving a child in the future.

Fertility-related procedures – amounts paid to a medical practitioner or a public or licensed private hospital to conceive a child. Under proposed changes, certain expenses paid in respect of a surrogate mother or a donor (for example, a donor or sperm, ova, or embryos) may be eligible as of 2022 if they are incured in Canada and are of a type that would be otherwise permitted as medical expenses of the individual. See also In vitro fertility program .

Group home – see Attendant care and care in a facility .

In vitro fertility program – the amount paid to a medical practitioner or a public or licensed private hospital. Under proposed changes, fees and other amounts paid to a fertility clinic or donor bank in Canada to obtain sperm or ova (eggs) may be eligible as of 2022. The amounts must be paid to enable the conception of a child by the individual, the individual's spouse or common-law partner, or a surrogate mother on behalf of the individuals. See also Fertility-related procedures .

Laser eye surgery – the amount paid to a medical practitioner or a public or licensed private hospital.

Nursing home – see Attendant care and care in a facility .

Organ transplant – reasonable amounts paid to find a compatible donor, to arrange the transplant including legal fees and insurance premiums, and reasonable travel, board and lodging expenses for the patient, the donor, and their respective attendants.

Personalized therapy plan – the salaries and wages paid for designing a personalized therapy plan are eligible medical expenses if certain conditions are met.

The plan has to be designed for a person who is eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC) and paid to someone who is in the business of providing such services to unrelated persons.

The therapy has to be prescribed and supervised by one of the following practitioners:

• a psychologist, a medical doctor, or a nurse practitioner (for expenses incurred after September 7, 2017) for a mental impairment
• an occupational therapist, a medical doctor, or a nurse practitioner (for expenses incurred after September 7, 2017) for a physical impairment

The plan has to meet one of the following conditions:

• be needed to get public funding for specialized therapy
• be prescribed by a psychologist, a medical doctor, or a nurse practitioner (for expenses incurred after September 7, 2017 ) for a mental impairment
• be prescribed by an occupational therapist medical doctor, or a nurse practitioner (for expenses incurred after September 7, 2017) for a physical impairment

For more information about the DTC, see Guide RC4064, Disability-Related Information .

Pre-natal and post-natal treatments paid to a medical practitioner or a public or licensed private hospital.

Rehabilitative therapy including lip reading and sign language training to adjust to a person’s loss of hearing or speech loss.

Respite care expenses – see Attendant care and care in a facility .

School for persons with a mental or physical impairment – an appropriately qualified person, such as a medical practitioner or the principal or head of the school, must certify in writing that the equipment, facilities, or staff specially provided by that school are needed because of the person’s physical or mental impairment.

Therapy – the salary and wages paid for the therapy given to a person who is eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC). The person giving the therapy must not be your spouse or common-law partner and must be 18 years of age or older when the amounts are paid.

• an occupational therapist, a medical doctor, or a nurse practitioner (for expenses incurred after September 7, 2017) for a physical impairment

Training – reasonable amounts paid for you or a relative to learn to care for a relative with a mental or physical impairment who lives with you or depends on you for support. The amount has to be paid to someone who is not your spouse or common-law partner and who was 18 years of age or older when the amounts were paid.

Treatment centre for a person addicted to drugs, alcohol, or gambling. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that the person needs the specialized equipment, facilities, or staff.

Whirlpool bath treatments – the amount paid to a medical practitioner for these treatments. A hot tub that you install in your home, even if prescribed by a medical practitioner, is not eligible.

Construction and renovation

This section identifies the fees related to the changes made to a home that you can claim as medical expenses.

Driveway access – reasonable amounts paid to alter the driveway of the main place of residence of a person who has a severe and prolonged mobility impairment, to ease access to a bus.

Furnace – the amount paid for an electric or sealed combustion furnace bought to replace a furnace that is neither of these, where the replacement is necessary because of a person’s severe chronic respiratory ailment or immune system disorder – prescription needed.

Renovation or construction expenses – the amounts paid for changes that give a person access to (or greater mobility or functioning within) their home because they have a severe and prolonged mobility impairment or lack normal physical development.

Costs for renovating or altering an existing home or the incremental costs in building the person’s main place of residence may be incurred. These amounts paid minus any related rebates, such as the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST), can be claimed.

Renovation or construction expenses have to be reasonable and meet both of the following conditions:

• They would not normally be expected to increase the value of the home.
• They would not normally be incurred by persons who have normal physical development or who do not have a severe and prolonged mobility impairment.

Make sure you get a breakdown of the costs. Costs could include expenses such as:

• buying and installing outdoor or indoor ramps if the person cannot use stairs
• enlarging halls and doorways to give the person access to the various rooms of their home
• lowering kitchen or bathroom cabinets so the person can use them

While these costs to renovate or alter a home to accommodate the use of a wheelchair may qualify as medical expenses under the conditions described above, these types of expenses related to other types of impairment may also qualify. In all cases, you must keep receipts and any other related documents to support your claim. Also, you must be able to show that the person’s particular circumstances and the expenses meet all of the conditions.

If the renovation expenses qualify for the home accessibility tax credit (HATC), you could claim both the HATC and the medical expenses tax credit for these expenses. For more information about the HATC, see Guide RC4064, Disability-Related Information .

Devices, equipment, and supplies

This section identifies health-related devices, equipment, and supplies you can claim as medical expenses.

Acoustic coupler – prescription required.

Air conditioner – $1,000 or 50% of the amount paid for the air conditioner, whichever is less , for a person with a severe chronic ailment, disease, or disorder – prescription needed.

Air filter, cleaner, or purifier used by a person to cope with or overcome a severe chronic respiratory ailment, or a severe chronic immune system disorder – prescription needed.

Altered auditory feedback devices for treating a speech disorder – prescription needed.

Artificial eye or limb

Assisted breathing devices that give air to the lungs under pressure, such as:

• a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine – prescription needed
• a mechanical ventilator

Audible signal devices including large bells, loud ringing bells, single stroke bells, vibrating bells, horns, and visible signals – prescription needed.

Baby breathing monitor – designed to be attached to an infant to sound an alarm if the infant stops breathing. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that the infant is at risk of sudden infant death syndrome – prescription needed.

Bathroom aids to help a person get in or out of a bathtub or shower or to get on or off a toilet – prescription needed.

Bliss symbol boards or similar devices used by a person who has a speech impairment to help the person communicate by choosing the symbols or spelling out words – prescription needed.

Blood coagulation monitors – the amount paid, including disposable peripherals such as pricking devices, lancets, and test strips, for a person who needs anti-coagulation therapy – prescription needed.

Bone conduction receiver

Braces for a limb including custom-made woven or elasticized stockings, walking casts, and boots or shoes that have braces built into them to allow a person to walk.

Braille note-taker devices used to allow a person who is blind to take notes (that can be read back to them, printed, or displayed in braille) with the help of a keyboard – prescription needed.

Braille printers, synthetic speech systems, large print-on-screen devices , and other devices designed only to help a person who is blind to use a computer – prescription needed.

Breast prosthesis because of a mastectomy – prescription needed.

Catheters, catheter trays, tubing , or other products needed for incontinence caused by illness, injury, or affliction.

Chair – power-operated guided chair to be used in a stairway, including installation – prescription needed.

Cochlear implant

Computer peripherals designed only to help a person who is blind to use a computer – prescription needed.

Dentures and dental implants

Devices or software designed to allow a person who is blind or has a severe learning disability to read print – prescription needed.

Diapers or disposable briefs for a person who is incontinent because of an illness, injury or affliction.

Elastic support hose designed only to relieve swelling caused by chronic lymphedema – prescription needed.

Electronic bone healing device – prescription needed.

Electronic speech synthesizers that allow a person who is unable to speak to communicate using a portable keyboard – prescription needed.

Electrotherapy devices for the treatment of a medical condition or a severe mobility impairment. These can include devices for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, electrical muscle stimulation, and iontophoresis – prescription needed.

Environmental control system (computerized or electronic) including the basic computer system used by a person with a severe and prolonged mobility impairment – prescription needed.

Extremity pump for a person diagnosed with chronic lymphedema – prescription needed.

Hearing aids or personal assistive listening devices including repairs and batteries.

Heart monitoring devices including repairs and batteries – prescription needed.

Hospital bed including attachments – prescription needed.

Ileostomy and colostomy pads including pouches and adhesives.

Infusion pump including disposable peripherals used in treating diabetes, or a device designed to allow a person with diabetes to measure their blood sugar levels – prescription needed.

Injection pens designed to be used to give an injection, such as an insulin pen – prescription needed.

Kidney machine (dialysis) – the cost of the machine and related expenses, such as:

• repairs, maintenance, and supplies
• additions, renovations, or alterations to a home (the hospital official who installed the machine must certify in writing that they were necessary for installation)
• the part of the operating costs of the home that relate to the machine (excluding mortgage interest and capital cost allowance)
• a telephone extension in the dialysis room and all long distance calls to a hospital for advice or to obtain repairs
• necessary and unavoidable costs to transport supplies

Large print-on-screen devices designed to help a person who is blind to use a computer – prescription needed.

Laryngeal speaking aids

Lift or transportation equipment (power-operated) designed only to be used by a person with a disability to help them access different areas of a building, enter or leave a vehicle, or place a wheelchair on or in a vehicle – prescription needed.

Needles and syringes – prescription needed.

Optical scanners or similar devices designed to allow a person who is blind to read print– prescription needed.

Orthopaedic shoes, boots, and inserts – prescription needed.

Osteogenesis stimulator (inductive coupling) for treating non-union of fractures or aiding in bone fusion – prescription needed.

Oxygen and oxygen tent or other equipment necessary to administer oxygen – prescription needed.

Oxygen concentrator – amounts paid to buy, use and maintain an oxygen concentrator including electricity.

Pacemakers – prescription needed.

Page turner devices to help a person turn the pages of a book or other bound document when they have a severe and prolonged impairment that markedly restricts the person’s ability to use their arms or hands – prescription needed.

Phototherapy equipment for treating psoriasis or other skin disorders. You can claim the amount paid to buy, use, and maintain this equipment.

Pressure pulse therapy devices for treating a balance disorder – prescription needed.

Real-time captioning used by a person with a speech or hearing impairment and paid to someone in the business of providing these services.

Scooter – the amount paid for a scooter that is used instead of a wheelchair.

Spinal brace

Standing devices for standing therapy in the treatment of a severe mobility impairment – prescription needed.

Talking textbooks related to enrolment at a secondary school in Canada or a designated educational institution for a person who has a perceptual disability. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that the expense is necessary – prescription needed.

Teletypewriters or similar devices that allow a person who is deaf or unable to speak to make and receive phone calls – prescription needed.

Television closed caption decoders for a person who is deaf – prescription needed.

Truss for hernia

Van – 20% of the amount paid for a van that has been previously adapted, or is adapted within 6 months after the van was bought (minus the cost of adapting the van), to transport a person who needs to use a wheelchair, to a limit of $5,000 (for residents of Ontario, the provincial limit is $8,204).

Vehicle device designed only to allow a person with a mobility impairment to drive the vehicle – prescription needed.

Vision devices – including eyeglasses, contact lenses and prescription swimming goggles to correct eyesight – prescription needed.

Visual or vibratory signalling device used by a person with a hearing impairment – prescription needed.

Voice recognition software used by a person who has an impairment in physical functions. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that the software is necessary.

Volume control feature (additional) used by a person who has a hearing impairment – prescription needed.

Walking aids – the amount paid for devices designed only to help a person who has a mobility impairment – prescription needed.

Water filter, cleaner, or purifier used by a person to cope with or overcome a severe chronic respiratory ailment, or a severe chronic immune system disorder – prescription needed.

Wheelchairs and wheelchair carriers

Wigs – the amount paid for a person who has suffered abnormal hair loss because of a disease, accident, or medical treatment – prescription needed.

Gluten-free food products

Persons with celiac disease can claim the incremental costs associated with buying gluten-free food products as a medical expense.

Incremental cost of gluten-free products

The incremental cost of buying gluten-free food products is the cost of gluten-free product minus the cost of similar products with gluten.

Eligible food products

Generally, the food products are limited to those produced and marketed specifically for gluten-free diets, such as gluten-free bread.

Other products can also be eligible if they are used by the person with celiac disease to make gluten-free products for their own use. This includes, but is not limited to, rice flour and gluten-free spices.

If several people eat the product, only the costs related to the part of the product that is eaten by the person with celiac disease may be claimed as a medical expense.

Documents you need to keep

Do not send your supporting documents. Keep them in case the CRA asks to see them later. You will need to keep all of the following documents:

• a letter from a medical practitioner that certifies that the person has celiac disease and needs a gluten-free diet
• receipts for each gluten-free food product that is claimed
• a summary of each food product that was bought during the 12-month period for which the expenses are being claimed

Prescribed drugs, medications, and other substances

This section identifies prescribed drugs, medications, and other substances you can claim as medical expenses.

Drugs and medical devices bought under Health Canada’s Special Access Program – the amounts paid for drugs and medical devices that have not been approved for use in Canada, if they were purchased under this program. For more information, visit Health Canada .

Insulin or substitutes – prescription needed.

Liver extract injections for a person with pernicious anaemia – prescription needed.

Medical cannabis (marihuana) – the amounts paid for cannabis, cannabis oil, cannabis plant seeds, or cannabis products purchased for medical purposes from a holder of a licence for sale (as defined in subsection 264(1) of the Cannabis Regulations ). The patient must be a holder of a medical document (as defined in subsection 264(1) of the Cannabis Regulations). The Cannabis Regulations require that the patient be registered as a client of the holder of a licence for sale and require the patient to make their purchases from the holder they are registered with.

Where a patient has a registration certificate that allows them to legally produce a limited amount of cannabis for their own medical purposes, the cost of growing and producing cannabis for medical purposes (other than the cost of cannabis plant seeds and cannabis), such as pots, soil, nutrients, and lights, is not an eligible medical expense.

Prescription drugs and medications that can lawfully be obtained for use by the person only if prescribed by a medical practitioner. Also, the drugs or medications must be recorded by a pharmacist. You cannot claim over-the-counter medications, vitamins, or supplements, even if prescribed by a medical practitioner (except vitamin B12 ).

Vaccines – prescription needed.

Vitamin B12  therapy for a person with pernicious anaemia (either by injections, pills, or other methods) – prescription needed.

Service animals

The cost of a specially trained animal to assist in coping with an impairment for a person who is in any of the following situations. The person:

• is profoundly deaf
• has a severe and prolonged physical impairment that markedly restricts the use of their arms or legs
• is severely affected by autism or epilepsy
• has severe diabetes (for expenses incurred after 2013)
• has a severe mental impairment (for expenses incurred after 2017). The animal must be specially trained to perform specific tasks that assist the person in coping with the impairment. An animal that only provides emotional support is not considered to be specially trained for a specific task

In addition to the cost of the animal, the care and maintenance (including food and veterinarian care) are eligible expenses.

Reasonable travel expenses for the person to go to a school, institution, or other place that trains them in handling such an animal (including reasonable board and lodging for full-time attendance at the school) are eligible expenses. The training of such animals has to be one of the main purposes of the person or organization that provides the animal.

Services and fees

This section identifies the services and fees you can claim as medical expenses.

Ambulance service to or from a public or licensed private hospital.

Certificates – the amount paid to a medical practitioner for filling out and providing more information for Form T2201 and other certificates.

Deaf-blind intervening services used by a person who is blind and profoundly deaf when paid to someone in the business of providing these services.

Dental services – paid to a medical practitioner or a dentist. Expenses for purely cosmetic procedures are not eligible. For more information, see Common medical expenses you cannot claim .

Electrolysis – only amounts paid to a qualified medical practitioner. Expenses for purely cosmetic procedures are not eligible. For more information, see Common medical expenses you cannot claim .

Hospital services – public or private, that are licensed as hospitals by the province, territory, or jurisdiction they are located in.

Laboratory procedures or services including necessary interpretations – prescription needed.

COVID-19 tests, such as those for travel, would still need a prescription, even if they are mandatory.

Medical services by medical practitioners – to verify if a specific profession is recognized by a province or territory for the purposes of claiming medical expenses, go to Authorized medical practitioners for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit .

Medical services outside of Canada – if you travel outside Canada to get medical services, you can claim the amounts you paid to a medical practitioner and a public or licensed private hospital. A "licensed private hospital" is a hospital licensed by the jurisdiction that it operates in.

Moving expenses – reasonable moving expenses (that have not been claimed as moving expenses on anyone’s tax return) to move a person who has a severe and prolonged mobility impairment, or who lacks normal physical development, to housing that is more accessible to the person or in which the person is more mobile or functional, to a limit of $2,000 (for residents of Ontario, the provincial limit is $3,282).

Note-taking services used by a person with an impairment in physical or mental functions and paid to someone in the business of providing these services. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that these services are needed.

Nurse – the amount paid for services of an authorized nurse.

Orthodontic work including braces paid to a medical practitioner or a dentist. Expenses for purely cosmetic procedures are not eligible. For more information, see Common medical expenses you cannot claim .

Premiums paid to private health services plans including medical, dental, and hospitalization plans. They can be claimed as a medical expense, as long as 90% or more of the premiums paid under the plan are for eligible medical expenses.

Reading services used by a person who is blind or has a severe learning disability and paid to someone in the business of providing these services. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that these services are needed.

Sign language interpretation services used by a person with a speech or hearing impairment and paid to someone in the business of providing these services.

Tests – the cost of medical tests such as electrocardiographs, electrocardiograms, metabolism tests, radiological services or procedures, spinal fluid tests, stool examinations, sugar content tests, urine analysis, and x-ray services. Also, you can claim the cost of any related interpretation or diagnosis – prescription needed.

Tutoring services that are additional to the primary education of a person with a learning disability or an impairment in mental functions, and paid to a person in the business of providing these services to individuals who are not related to the person. A medical practitioner must certify in writing that these services are needed.

Travel expenses

This section explains which travel expenses you can claim as medical expenses.

Expenses you can claim

To claim transportation and travel expenses, all of the following conditions must be met:

• Substantially equivalent medical services were not available near your home.
• You took a reasonably direct travelling route.
• It is reasonable, under the circumstances, for you to have travelled to that place for those medical services.

If a medical practitioner certifies in writing that you were not able to travel alone to get medical services, you can also claim the transportation and travel expenses of an attendant.

If you have travel expenses related to medical services and you also qualify for northern residents deductions (line 25500 of your tax return), you may be able to choose how to claim your expenses. For more information, see Form T2222, Northern Residents Deductions .

At least 40 kilometres

If you had to travel at least 40 kilometres (one way) from your home to get medical services, you may be able to claim the public transportation expenses you paid (for example, taxis, bus, or train) as medical expenses. Where public transportation is not readily available, you may be able to claim vehicle expenses.

At least 80 kilometres

If you had to travel at least 80 kilometres (one way) from your home to get medical services, you may be able to claim accommodation, meal, and parking expenses in addition to your transportation expenses as medical expenses. This may include travelling outside Canada.

Meal and vehicle expenses

You can choose to use the detailed or simplified method for calculating meal and vehicle expenses. If you use the detailed method, you have to keep all receipts and records for your 12-month period.

For more information and to find out about the rates used to calculate these travel expenses, go to Meal and vehicle rates used to calculate travel expenses or call the CRA's Tax Information Phone Service at 1-800-267-6999 .

Accommodations

You must keep receipts for all accommodation expenses and you must be able to show that the amount paid for accommodation is necessary because of the distance travelled and your medical condition. Claim the amount for accommodation as shown on your receipts.

Expenses you cannot claim

If you traveled less than 40 kilometres from your home to get medical services, you cannot claim travel expenses as medical expenses. You also cannot claim travel expenses if you travel only to pick up a device or medication.

Paul lives in St-Hyacinthe and had to travel over 40 kilometres one way (but less than 80 kilometres) to Montréal to get medical services because similar services were not available within 40 kilometres of his home. He had to use his vehicle because no public transportation was readily available.

Paul can claim his vehicle expenses. He can choose the detailed or simplified method to calculate the amount to claim on his tax return.

Maria had to travel with her son Michael from Sydney to Halifax (over 80 kilometres one way) to get medical services for herself. Maria’s doctor gave her a letter certifying that she was not able to travel without an attendant.

Since similar medical services were not available near her home, Maria took a direct travelling route, and it was reasonable, under the circumstances, for her to travel to Halifax to get medical services.

The day after they arrived in Halifax, Maria checked into the hospital for surgery and had to stay for two weeks .

Michael stayed in a hotel nearby and during the day, helped her with meals and personal care at the hospital. Michael drove his mother back to Sydney afterwards.

Maria can claim all reasonable travel expenses for herself and her son while en route, to and from Halifax and for the two-week period of medical services in Halifax.

Jennifer had to travel from Prince Rupert to Vancouver (over 80 kilometres one way) to get medical services. Her husband Stephen drove her there. Jennifer stayed in the hospital in Vancouver for three weeks but Stephen drove back to Prince Rupert after dropping her off at the hospital. Jennifer’s doctor gave her a letter certifying that she was not able to travel without an attendant.

Since similar medical services were not available near her home, Jennifer took a direct travelling route, and it was reasonable, under the circumstances, for her to travel to Vancouver to get medical services.

Stephen came to visit Jennifer once during her three-week stay in the hospital. When Jennifer was ready to go home, Stephen drove to Vancouver to take her home.

Jennifer can claim reasonable travel expenses for herself and her husband for the trip from Prince Rupert to Vancouver and then for the drive back home. However, neither Jennifer nor Stephen can claim any expenses for the trip Stephen made to visit Jennifer in the hospital.

John had to travel from Winnipeg to Germany (over 80 kilometres one way) to get medical services. He flew there and back, and stayed at a hotel for one week while he received the services from a medical practitioner.

Since similar medical services were not available near his home, John took a direct travelling route, and it was reasonable, under the circumstances, for him to travel to Germany to get medical services.

John can claim all reasonable travel expenses for himself while en route, to and from Germany and for the one week period of medical services in Germany.

Common medical expenses you cannot claim

There are some expenses that are commonly claimed as medical expenses in error. The expenses you cannot claim include the following:

• athletic or fitness club fees
• birth control devices (non-prescription)
• blood pressure monitors
• liposuction
• hair replacement procedures
• filler injections (for removing wrinkles)
• teeth whitening

A cosmetic surgery expense may qualify as a medical expense if it is necessary for medical or reconstructive purposes, such as surgery to address a deformity related to a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease;

• diaper services
• health plan premiums paid by an employer and not included in your income
• liquid meal replacement products
• mobile applications that help a person manage their blood glucose level (without actually measuring it)
• nebulizer to turn liquid medicine into a fine mist that can be inhaled
• organic food
• over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements, even if prescribed by a medical practitioner (except vitamin B12 )
• personal response systems such as Lifeline and Health Line Services
• provincial and territorial plans such as the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan and the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (for a complete list of non-eligible plans, go to Lines 33099 and 33199 – Eligible medical expenses you can claim on your return )
• radon testing (for example, a radon test kit or the services of a radon measurement professional) or a radon mitigation treatment system (including installation)
• the part of medical expenses (including travel expenses) for which you can get reimbursed, such as reimbursements from a private insurance

If you are filing your tax return electronically or on paper, do not send any supporting documents. Keep them in case the CRA asks to see them later.

Receipts must show the name of the company or individual to whom an expense was paid. Receipts for attendant care or therapy paid to an individual should also show the individual’s social insurance number.

Receipts should also show the purpose of the payment, the date of payment, the name of the patient, and, if applicable, the medical practitioner who prescribed the purchase or gave the service.

In addition to receipts, the CRA may ask to see proof of payment, such as bank or credit card statements. If you are claiming amounts for a dependant who is 18 or older, the CRA may ask you for proof of support, such as a lease agreement or grocery receipts.

Digital services for individuals

The CRA’s digital services are fast, easy, and secure!

My Account lets you view and manage your personal income tax and benefit information online. Use My Account throughout the year to:

• view your benefit and credit information and apply for certain benefits
• view your notice of assessment or reassessment
• view uncashed cheques and request a replacement payment
• change your address, phone numbers, direct deposit information, marital status, and information about children in your care
• manage notification preferences and receive email notifications when important changes are made to your account
• check your tax-free savings account (TFSA) contribution room, your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) deduction limit, and your first home savings account (FHSA) participation room
• track the progress of certain files you have submitted to the CRA
• make a payment online to the CRA with the My Payment service, create a pre-authorized debit (PAD) agreement, or create a QR code to pay in person at Canada Post for a fee. For more information on how to make a payment, go to Payments to the CRA
• view and print your proof of income statement
• manage authorized representatives and authorization requests
• submit documents to the CRA
• submit an audit enquiry
• link between your CRA My Account and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) My Service Canada Account
• manage Multi-factor authentification settings

To sign in to or register for the CRA's digital services, go to:

• My Account if you are an individual
• Represent a Client if you are an authorized representative

Receive your CRA mail online

Set your correspondence preference to "Electronic mail" to receive email notifications when CRA mail, like your notice of assessment, is available in your account.

For more information, go to Email notifications from the CRA .

For more information

If you need help.

If you need more information after reading this guide, go to  Eligible medical expenses you can claim on your tax return or call 1-800-959-8281 .

Direct deposit

Direct deposit is a fast, convenient, and secure way to receive your CRA payments directly into your account at a financial institution in Canada. For more information and ways to enrol, go to Direct deposit or contact your financial institution.

Forms and publications

The CRA encourages you to file your return electronically. If you need a paper version of the CRA's forms and publications, go to Forms and publications or call 1-800-959-8281 .

Electronic mailing lists

The CRA can send you an email when new information on a subject of interest to you is available on the website. To subscribe to the electronic mailing lists, go to Electronic mailing lists .

Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS)

For tax information by telephone, use the CRA's automated service, TIPS, by calling 1-800-267-6999 .

Teletypewriter (TTY) users

If you use a TTY for a hearing or speech impairment, call 1-800-665-0354 .

If you use an operator-assisted relay service , call the CRA's regular telephone numbers instead of the TTY number.

Formal disputes (objections and appeals)

You have the right to file an objection if you disagree with an assessement, determination, or decision.

For more information about objections and related deadlines, go to File an objection .

CRA Service Feedback Program

Service complaints.

You can expect to be treated fairly under clear and established rules, and get a high level of service each time you deal with the CRA. For more information about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, see the Taxpayer Bill of Rights .

You may provide compliments or suggestions, and if you are not satisfied with the service you received:

• Try to resolve the matter with the employee you have been dealing with or call the telephone number provided in the correspondence you received from the CRA. If you do not have contact information for the CRA, go to Contact information .
• If you have not been able to resolve your service-related issue, you can ask to discuss the matter with the employee’s supervisor.
• If the problem is still not resolved, you can file a service-related complaint by filling out Form RC193, Service Feedback . For more information on how to file a complaint, go to Submit a service feedback .

If you are not satisfied with how the CRA has handled your service related complaint, you can submit a complaint with the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson .

Reprisal complaints

If you have received a response regarding a previously submitted service complaint or a formal review of a CRA decision and feel that you were treated impartially by a CRA employee, you can submit a reprisal complaint by filling out Form RC459, Reprisal Complaint .

For more information about complaints and disputes, go to Reprisal complaints .

Acoustic coupler

Air conditioner

Air filter, cleaner, or purifier

Altered auditory feedback devices

Ambulance service

Assisted breathing devices

Attendant care expenses

Audible signal devices

Baby breathing monitor

Bathroom aids

Bliss symbol boards

Blood coagulation monitors

Bone marrow transplant

Braces for a limb

Braille note-taker devices

Braille printers, synthetic speech systems, large print-on-screen devices

Breast prosthesis

Cancer treatment

Cannabis – see Medical cannabis (marihuana)

Catheters, catheter trays tubing

Certificates

Computer peripherals

Construction expenses – see Renovation or construction expenses

Cosmetic surgery

Deaf-blind intervening services

Dental services

Devices or software

Dialysis (kidney machine)

Diapers or disposable briefs

Driveway access

Drugs and medical devices bought under Health Canada’s Special Access Program

Egg and sperm freezing and storage

Elastic support hose

Electrolysis

Electronic bone healing device

Electronic speech synthesizers

Electrotherapy devices

Environmental control system (computerized or electronic)

Extremity pump

Fertility-related procedures  

Glasses – see Vision devices

Group home – see Attendant care and care in a facility

Hearing aids

Heart monitoring devices

Hernia – see Truss for hernia

Hospital bed

Hospital services

Hot tub – see  Whirlpool bath treatments

Ileostomy and colostomy pads

Infusion pump

Injection pens

Insulin or substitutes

In vitro fertility program

Kidney machine – see Dialysis (kidney machine)

Laboratory procedures or services

Large print-on-screen devices

Laser eye surgery

Lift or transportation equipment

Liver extract injections

Medical cannabis (marihuana)

Medical devices bought under Health Canada’s Special Access Program – see Drugs and medical devices bought under Health Canada’s Special Access Program

Medical services provided by qualified medical practitioners

Medical services provided outside of Canada

Moving expenses

Needles and syringes

Note-taking services

Nursing home – see Attendant care and care in a facility

Optical scanners

Organ transplant

Orthodontic work

Orthopaedic shoes, boots, and inserts

Osteogenesis stimulator (inductive coupling)

Ova – see In vitro fertility program

Ova freezing – see Egg and sperm freezing and storage

Oxygen and oxygen tent

Oxygen concentrator

Page turner devices

Personalized therapy plan

Phototherapy equipment

Premiums paid to private health services plans

Pre-natal and post-natal treatments

Prescription drugs and medications

Pressure pulse therapy devices

Radon testing

Reading services

Real-time captioning

Rehabilitative therapy

Renovation or construction expenses

Respite care expenses – see Attendant care and care in a facility

School for persons with an impairment in physical or mental functions

Sign-language interpretation services

Software – see Devices or software

Sperm – see In vitro fertility program

Sperm freezing – see Egg and sperm freezing and storage

Standing devices

Surrogate mother – see Fertility-related procedures

Syringes – see Needles and syringes

Talking textbooks

Teletypewriters

Television closed caption decoders

Transportation equipment – see Lift or transportation equipment  

Treatment centre

Tutoring services

Vehicle device

Vision devices

Visual or vibratory signalling device

Vitamin B12

Voice recognition software

Volume control feature (additional)

Walking aids

Walking cast – see Braces for a limb

Water filter, cleaner or purifier

Whirlpool bath treatments

Page details

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Media Contact

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+49 30 901723172

[email protected]

https://www.eta-canada-visa.org