Medical tourism from Canada is something the Government of Canada does not advise against, but its advice, updated 2 September 2026, is to talk to a travel health clinic or your own health care provider in Canada before you book, because most procedures go as planned but there can be serious complications. Provincial plans pay little or nothing for planned treatment abroad: Alberta does not cover elective surgery outside Canada, and Ontario pays only with written prior approval that your Ontario doctor applies for. Below is what Ottawa tells Canadians to check, what the two biggest provinces pay, and, for 8 treatments, the published Canadian price next to the cheapest trip abroad we can price (check-up packages are left out, because their contents differ).
Short answer
The Government of Canada does not advise against medical tourism, but says to discuss it first with a travel health clinic or your health care provider, research the facility, buy insurance that covers procedures abroad, and plan your aftercare at home. Your provincial plan may not pay for complications abroad, and most travel insurance does not cover planned procedures. On price, going abroad came out cheaper for 3 of the 8 treatments we can compare once a rough flight and hotel are added.
- Official advice
- Talk to a travel health clinic or your provider in Canada first (Government of Canada)
- Alberta
- Elective treatment and surgery outside Canada not covered
- Ontario
- Covered only with written prior approval, applied for by your Ontario doctor
- Tell your doctors
- For at least 12 months after you return
What the Government of Canada advises
Ottawa's page for people travelling to have a medical procedure was updated on 2 September 2026 (Government of Canada). It lists the reasons people go, such as quicker access, care not available in Canada and combining care with a holiday, and then the risks:
- Complications. Risks may be higher in hospitals outside Canada, depending on where you go, and there have been reports of serious illness, including bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics.
- Different standards. Accreditation, licensing, drug regulation, infection control, blood screening and sterilising equipment may differ from Canada. Medication outside Canada may be counterfeit, poor quality, outdated, unsafe or watered down.
- Flying after surgery may increase the risk of complications, including blood clots and air trapped in a blood vessel.
- Cost. Complications or unplanned aftercare could cost more than having the same procedure in Canada, and if something goes wrong your options for legal action may be limited.
- Warning signs. Pressure to decide quickly, prices or success claims that seem too good to be true, packages that bundle a holiday with treatment, little information about the health care team, or no chance to consult the physician before treatment.
What your provincial plan pays for treatment abroad
Each province sets its own rules. We read the two largest:
Ottawa adds that your provincial or territorial plan may not cover your expenses if you develop complications in the country where you have the procedure, and that most travel insurance policies won't cover planned medical procedures in another country (Government of Canada). What a travel policy usually leaves out is in medical tourism insurance.
Medical tourism costs: Canada vs the cheapest trip abroad
For each treatment, the typical price is the median of the lowest published price at each Canadian clinic we track; the trip is the cheapest published clinic price abroad plus a rough return flight and hotel. Both are our calculations from prices each clinic publishes, in Canadian dollars.
Prices read on each clinic's own page; flight and hotel are rough examples, not quotes. Public waits are national figures from the Canadian Institute for Health Information where it publishes one.
Going abroad came out cheaper for dental implants, veneers, IVF cycles. It did not for MRI scans, CT scans, colonoscopies, gastroscopies, laser eye operations, where the flight and hotel cost more than the difference. A lower price is not the only question: where there is a public wait, as for joint replacement and cataract surgery, the choice is also between waiting and paying, and the waits are on Canada wait times by province.
Before, during and after: Ottawa's checklist
- Talk to a provider in CanadaAsk whether you are healthy enough to travel, whether flying is a risk after the procedure, which vaccinations you need, and plan follow-up and recovery in Canada.
- Check the people and the placeCheck the credentials of everyone treating you (most countries publish them on an official government website) and whether the facility is accredited by the body that regulates health care there. Do not go to an unofficial facility.
- Get it in writingGet written agreements that set out what your fees cover, and find out what legal rights you have if something goes wrong.
- Count every costIncluding emergencies, such as an unexpected medical evacuation back to Canada.
- Bring your records homeGet copies of all records, X-rays and scans before you leave, translated into English or French if needed, and review them with a provider in Canada.
- Tell your doctorsTell any health care provider you see for at least 12 months after you return that you were treated outside Canada.
How official advice from Canada, the UK, the US and Ireland compares is on is medical tourism safe?