Marie, a 67-year-old retired nurse from Montreal, needed a hip replacement. She was told the wait in Quebec’s public system was 18 to 24 months. “I’ve spent my whole career caring for other people,” she said. “Now I need someone to care for me — and I don’t have two years to wait.” Marie traveled to China with myMedVia. From her first consultation to walking without a cane, the entire process took 6 weeks.
Wait times are the single biggest driver of medical travel. Here is an evidence-based comparison of how long patients wait for common procedures in their home countries versus what myMedVia can arrange in China.
Overall Wait Time Comparison: Key Procedures
| Procedure | Home Country (Public System) | China (myMedVia) | Time Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip replacement | 12–24 months (Canada, UK) | 7–10 days | 97–99% |
| Knee replacement | 12–24 months (Canada, UK) | 7–10 days | 97–99% |
| Cataract surgery | 6–18 months (UK, Canada) | 3–5 days | 97–99% |
| Spinal fusion | 8–18 months (Canada, UK) | 10–14 days | 95–98% |
| Hernia repair | 6–12 months (UK, Canada) | 3–5 days | 95–98% |
| Gallbladder removal | 4–8 months (UK, Canada) | 5–7 days | 94–97% |
| Cardiac bypass | 3–12 months (Canada, UK) | 10–14 days | 90–97% |
| Cancer surgery | 4–12 weeks (UK, Canada) | 5–10 days | 80–95% |
| Knee arthroscopy | 6–12 months (Canada, UK) | 5–7 days | 95–98% |
| Colonoscopy (diagnostic) | 4–8 months (Canada, UK) | 1–3 days | 98–99% |
Source: Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey 2023; Canadian Institute for Health Information Wait Times Report 2023; NHS England Consultant-Led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times 2023; myMedVia partner hospital data
Country-by-Country Breakdown
Canada
Average wait from GP referral to specialist: 14.6 weeks (Fraser Institute, 2023)Average wait from specialist to treatment: 14.2 weeks (Fraser Institute, 2023)Total median wait: 28.8 weeks — the longest in the developed worldHip replacement median wait: 26 weeks (CIHI, 2023)Knee replacement median wait: 30 weeks (CIHI, 2023)MRI wait: 10–20 weeks (CIHI, 2023)Source: Fraser Institute, “Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2023”
United Kingdom (NHS)
7.7 million people waiting for consultant-led care (NHS England, December 2023)389,000 patients waiting more than 52 weeks (NHS England, 2023)Hip replacement: median 18 weeks (18-week RTT, but 20% wait over 40 weeks)Knee replacement: median 20 weeksMRI wait: 4–14 weeksCancer treatment: 28% of patients wait longer than the 62-day targetSource: NHS England, “Consultant-Led Refer to Treatment Waiting Times Data 2023”; NHS England, “Cancer Waiting Times Annual Report 2023”
France
Hip replacement: median 8–12 weeksKnee replacement: median 10–16 weeksMRI wait: 4–8 weeksHowever, rural areas face significantly longer waits (up to 20 weeks for orthopedics)Source: Haute Autorité de Santé, “Délais d’accès aux soins 2023”; DREES, “Les soins hospitaliers 2023”
United States
Private insurance: 1–4 weeks for most proceduresMedicare: 4–8 weeks for joint replacementUninsured/underinsured: often face indefinite waits or no accessCost is the primary barrier: hip replacement in the US averages $40,000–$65,000Source: Medicare.gov; American Hospital Association, “Hospital Pricing Report 2023”
Russia
Public system: 4–16 weeks for joint replacementMRI wait: 2–6 weeksPrivate care available but costs comparable to China without the medical travel infrastructureSource: Russian Ministry of Health, “Average Waiting Times for High-Tech Medical Care 2022”
Saudi Arabia & UAE
Public system: 8–16 weeks for elective surgeriesPrivate sector: 2–6 weeks, but at significantly higher costsMany patients from the Gulf region already travel abroad for careSource: Saudi Ministry of Health Annual Report 2023; Dubai Health Authority, “Healthcare Capacity Report 2023”
Why the Difference Is So Dramatic
Supply vs. demand: China’s major cities have a higher density of specialists and hospital beds per capita than most Western countries. Shanghai alone has 43 JCI-accredited or equivalent international hospitals — more than most European countries have in their entire national system.
Source: Joint Commission International — accredited hospitals in China, 2024
Capacity: Chinese hospitals operate at higher volumes. A single top-tier Chinese hospital can perform 30–50 joint replacements per day. The entire NHS performs approximately 80,000 hip replacements per year. Beijing Jishuitan Hospital alone performs over 60,000 orthopedic surgeries annually.
Source: Beijing Jishuitan Hospital Annual Report 2022; NHS England, “Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2022–23”
Cost comparison: Not only is the wait shorter — the cost is dramatically lower:
| Procedure | US (Average) | UK (Private) | China (myMedVia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip replacement | $40,000–$65,000 | $15,000–$20,000 | $12,000–$18,000 |
| Knee replacement | $35,000–$55,000 | $14,000–$18,000 | $11,000–$16,000 |
| Spinal fusion | $50,000–$100,000+ | $20,000–$35,000 | $18,000–$30,000 |
| Cardiac bypass | $75,000–$150,000 | $25,000–$40,000 | $20,000–$35,000 |
| Colonoscopy | $2,000–$4,000 | $1,500–$2,500 | $800–$1,500 |
Source: International Federation of Health Plans, “2023 Comparative Price Report”; myMedVia partner hospital pricing