Hip and knee replacement abroad from Ireland

Written by Saher Shodhan. Every quote and figure on this page was read on the publisher's own page on 9 Nov 2026, unless a source says otherwise. Hospitals' prices abroad were checked on their own price lists on 6 Oct 2026. This is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice: check your own case with your GP, your consultant and the HSE. Sources are numbered at the end.

What a hip or knee replacement costs in Ireland

The HSE prices hospital care by diagnosis-related group (DRG) code. For an inpatient stay of normal length, its price list for claims from 1 September 2026 gives [1]:

Source: HSE Healthcare Pricing Office, ABF 2026 Admitted Patient Price List, inlier inpatient prices, listed by the HSE for claims from 1 September 2026 [1]. Read 9 Nov 2026.

As a public patient in a public hospital you do not pay this. Citizens Information says "Public in-patient fees were abolished on 17 April 2023" [11]. What you face instead is the public waiting list.

Irish private hospitals we looked at quote self-pay prices case by case rather than publishing a price list. The Mater Private, for example, says it will "provide you with a written quotation within 48 hours", and that "Consultation fees and diagnostic testing costs will be quoted separately" [12].

Comparing hospitals abroad for your own hip or knee? Ask us, free →

Orthopaedic waiting lists in Ireland

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) publishes the public hospital waiting lists every month. Its figures for adults in orthopaedics at the end of September 2026, published on 9 Oct 2026, were [3] [4] [5]:

Source: NTPF open data, inpatient and day case and outpatient waiting lists by speciality, adults, orthopaedics, list dated 24 Sep 2026 (the end-of-September report) [3] [4]. Read 9 Nov 2026.

So 1,885 adults had waited over a year for orthopaedic treatment, and 16,270 had waited over a year for a first orthopaedic outpatient appointment [3] [4]. These figures cover every orthopaedic operation, not only hips and knees: the NTPF's open data is by speciality and hospital. Across all specialities, the NTPF said 114,722 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case treatment and 692,524 for a first outpatient consultation [5]. Ask your hospital where you are on its list.

Hip and knee replacement prices abroad

We only quote a country's range when at least 3 hospitals publish a price for the full operation, including the implant. For hip and knee replacements in the EU, that is Poland:

Source: Thera Travel clinic price index, each hospital's own published price list, entry price, checked 6 Oct 2026 [7]. Two lists are in złoty, converted at the European Central Bank reference rate of 6 Nov 2026, €1 = 4.3925 zł [8]; one is published in euros. In sterling on our price index: hip £5,425 to £5,891, knee £5,425 to £7,317, at the ECB rate of 6 Oct 2026 [7].

What each price includes differs, so compare what is included, not just the number. Several other European hospitals publish a price that leaves out the implant, so they are not counted [7]. Germany has 2 published knee replacement price lists, too few to quote, and we hold too few published prices in Lithuania, Spain and the Czech Republic to give a range [7]. Each hospital's own price is on the hip and knee price list, and our guides to hip replacement in Poland and knee replacement in Poland go further.

How the HSE refund works for a hip or knee

The Cross Border Directive covers planned care in another EU or EEA country that you could get as a public patient in Ireland [6]. The HSE lists "orthopaedic services, such as hip replacements" among its examples [13]. It repays "whichever is the smaller amount": the cost of your healthcare abroad, or the cost of the same healthcare in the public system in Ireland [2].

Applying that rule to the figures above: if a hospital abroad charges €6,940 for a hip replacement and the HSE price is €15,523, the most you can claim is the €6,940 you paid. If a hospital abroad charged more than €15,523, you could claim up to €15,523 and would pay the rest yourself [1] [2]. The HSE says it can "only confirm the exact amount after your treatment" [14]. For a hip, the code it expects is I33B [2].

The HSE says the scheme does not cover travel, accommodation, translation services or payments to an intermediary [2]. You pay the hospital first and claim afterwards. The HSE aims to repay within 30 working days of getting all completed documents, but says "Due to high demand, processing times are longer" [15]. On 15 Oct 2026 the Minister for Health said the office was processing applications received in early April 2026 [10].

Our guide to the Cross Border Directive and HSE refunds covers the forms, the documents and the appeal route in full.

From an Irish waiting list to an operation abroad

1. Referral. The HSE accepts "a referral from a GP or a consultant you see as a public patient", not one through private health insurance [6]. A letter confirming you are on a public waiting list in Ireland can also go with your forms [14] [15].
2. Outpatient consultation. The HSE says this can be "abroad, with your treating consultant" or in Ireland as a public patient, and for inpatient treatment it must be in person [6].
3. Prior notification. Optional, but it tells you whether you are eligible and roughly how much you might get back [14].
4. The operation. Pay the hospital directly and keep the itemised invoice and your bank or card record [15].
5. Your claim. Send the healthcare costs form, with section 4 completed by the hospital abroad [15].
6. Back home. The HSE says "a GP in Ireland can refer you for any follow-up care you need in the public health system in Ireland" [6].

Where Irish patients go

The HSE said 6,889 Cross Border Directive treatments were reimbursed or approved in 2025, for all kinds of care, not only joints [9]. The most were in Spain (4,609), Poland (808), Lithuania (579) and Germany (355) [9]. Turkey is not in the EU or EEA, so the Cross Border Directive does not cover treatment there [6].

We list orthopaedic hospitals in Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic, each with its official register and any price it publishes.

The Treatment Abroad Scheme

The Treatment Abroad Scheme is a different route. The HSE says it covers treatment that is "not available in Ireland", or "not available in the time normally necessary to get it in Ireland - taking into account your health and the likely course of your condition or disease" [16]. Only a public hospital consultant in Ireland can refer you, and the HSE must approve the application before you travel [16]. Ask your consultant whether it applies to you.

Before you book

1. Ask the HSE National Contact Point to confirm your operation is covered and the DRG code it expects [2].
2. Get an itemised quote in writing: the implant, nights in hospital, physiotherapy and what happens if you need to stay longer.
3. Find the hospital on its country's official register under the legal name on your quote, and get the surgeon's full name.
4. Plan your follow-up care in Ireland with your GP before you go [6].

Our 15 questions to ask a hospital abroad set these out in full.

This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. The HSE decides every claim: check your own case with the HSE.

Clinics UK patients look at

The four with the most Google reviews among the orthopaedic clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.

Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, ChennaiChennai, IndiaKIMS-Sunshine Hospitals, BegumpetHyderabad (Begumpet), IndiaYashoda Hospitals, SomajigudaHyderabad (Somajiguda, Raj Bhavan Road), IndiaYashoda Hospitals, MalakpetHyderabad (Malakpet, Nalgonda X Roads), India

Written by Saher Shodhan

Saher Shodhan is the founder of Thera Travel, which publishes what the official records show about clinics abroad, each fact with the date it was checked, and answers patients' enquiries, free. More about Thera → How we write and check our guides →