PEI Couple Borrows $25,000 for Private Hip Surgery After Facing Year-Long Wait
A couple from Prince Edward Island took out a loan to pay for private hip replacement surgery in Montreal after being told they would face a 12 to 15 month wait on the public system. While the procedure was efficient, the cost has delayed their retirement plans. Data shows median wait times remain high, though recent improvements have been noted.
Neil and Janet Payne, residents of Kinkora, Prince Edward Island, made the difficult decision to borrow $25,000 through a line of credit to fund Neil’s hip replacement surgery at a private clinic in Montreal. The choice came after the couple learned that Neil would likely have to wait another 12 to 15 months for the procedure within the public healthcare system, following an initial nine-month wait.
The move to seek care outside the province highlights the growing pressure on patients facing long delays for elective surgeries. According to Health P.E.I., the median wait time for hip replacements was 282 days in the first quarter of 2026-27, slightly up from 276 days during the same period the previous year. However, there have been some operational improvements: the 90th percentile wait time decreased from 519 days to 476 days between the first quarters of 2025-26 and 2026-27. Additionally, 89 hip replacements were completed in P.E.I. during the first quarter of 2026-27, compared to 81 a year earlier.
Despite these statistical shifts, the personal impact of waiting remains significant. Before the surgery, Neil Payne lost between 25 and 35 pounds due to pain and medication side effects. Once the decision was made to go private, the logistics were arranged quickly; it took only 48 hours to set up the surgery. Janet Payne paid an additional $1,500 for Neil to stay overnight at the Montreal clinic, and he traveled home the next day. Shortly after returning, Neil resumed hiking and active living.
The financial burden of this shortcut to care has consequences. The Paynes report that the debt incurred has delayed their retirement plans. Their experience is not unique to wealthy Canadians. Colin Craig of SecondStreet.org noted that polling data suggests approximately nine per cent of individuals earning under $60,000 annually have paid out-of-pocket for care due to long waits, indicating that the issue affects various income levels. Nationally, while 33.7 per cent of cases met the Canadian Institute for Health Information's 182-day benchmark in Q1 2026-27 (up from 28.4 per cent the previous year), many patients still find themselves waiting far longer than recommended.