Knee replacement cost in Hong Kong 2026: the 87-month public wait, and thin private data
膝關節置換手術 2026 香港收費全比較
The longest queue on this site
A total knee replacement resurfaces the worn knee joint with an implant — major surgery with a published average stay of around four to five days. Its defining feature in Hong Kong is the wait: as at 31 March 2026 there were 33,277 total-joint-replacement bookings in the Hospital Authority queue, median waits ran from 5 to 50 months by cluster, and one in ten patients waited as long as 87 months — over seven years. HA updates these figures quarterly, with the next update on 31 July 2026.
For many people that wait is the whole decision. The flip side is that private bill data here is thin — only one hospital publishes Historical Bill Sizes statistics for this exact procedure — so the fixed-price packages are the more useful private reference. Whether and when to replace your knee is a clinical decision for you and your surgeon.
Hospital Authority pricing
On the public side, an Eligible Person pays flat fees: HK$250 per specialist clinic attendance plus HK$300 per day for an acute bed, bounded by the HK$10,000 annual cap (must be applied for via HA Go — not automatic). The bill is small; the cost of the public route is the queue — the longest on this site. The components below are the published fees.
Private medical facilities
This is published Historical Bill Sizes data (government price-transparency pilot) — but only one hospital reports a row for total knee replacement, so treat the percentile as a single data point, not a market range. That row's 50th-percentile total is HK$250,774 (including the doctor's fee), with the 90th percentile at HK$335,910. For a broader private read, look to the fixed-price packages below.
Only one hospital publishes bill statistics for this procedure (it is not on the pilot programme's recommended list) — the fixed-price packages below are the broader private reference.
Totals include doctor's fees (surgeon + anaesthetist where the hospital reports them together; Union reports the anaesthetist separately). Percentiles are computed per column — splits may not sum to totals.
Set prices from the hospital's own page; the badge states whether doctor fees are included.
How insurance treats this procedure
A knee replacement for advanced arthritis is a covered surgical procedure under most plans, billed as a multi-day inpatient admission. Under VHIS, surgeon's, anaesthetist's and operating-theatre fees each have benefit caps in Standard Plans plus daily room limits; Flexi Plans raise these by tier. The implant itself can be a large line item, and not every plan covers a premium or robotic-assisted implant in full — so the brand and technique you choose interact with your limits.
Confirm whether your plan covers the implant and the technique, check your surgical and daily room limits against the package prices, and discuss timing and implant choice with your doctor.
Weighing public against private
- Your knee is manageable for now and you can tolerate a long, uncertain wait.
- You want the HK$10,000 annual cap to bound the cost — the public bill is small. The cap must be applied for via HA Go, not automatic.
- You accept that median public waits ran 5 to 50 months by cluster, and one in ten patients waited up to 87 months.
- You do not need to choose your surgeon, implant or date.
- Your knee is limiting daily life now and a multi-year wait is not acceptable.
- You want to choose your surgeon, implant brand and technique (conventional vs robotic-arm-assisted).
- You hold VHIS or other surgical cover — check your limits against the package prices, and confirm implant cover.
- You prefer a fixed-price package: published packages here run from about HK$156,900 to HK$201,200 (robotic-assisted), doctor's fee included.
These are cost-and-logistics factors only, not medical advice — what fits your eyes, body and history is a conversation with your doctor.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the public wait for a knee replacement?+
As at 31 March 2026 there were 33,277 total-joint-replacement bookings. Median waits ran from 5 months to 50 months by cluster, and one in ten patients waited up to 87 months — more than seven years. HA updates these quarterly; the next update is 31 July 2026.
Why is there so little private price data?+
Only one hospital publishes Historical Bill Sizes statistics for total knee replacement, so the percentile here is a single data point — that row's 50th-percentile total is HK$250,774 and its 90th percentile HK$335,910, doctor included. With the percentiles this thin, the fixed-price packages are the more representative private reference.
What does the public route cost?+
Published Eligible-Person fees: HK$250 per specialist clinic attendance and HK$300 per day for an acute bed, capped at HK$10,000 a year (the cap must be applied for via HA Go — not automatic). The bill is small — the real cost is the queue.
Conventional or robotic-arm-assisted — what is the price difference?+
Packages distinguish the two: one hospital lists conventional total knee replacement from about HK$159,500 and robotic-arm-assisted from HK$201,200. Whether robotic assistance benefits your case is a clinical judgement for your surgeon, not a price decision alone.
Does the implant brand change the price?+
Yes — packages are tiered by implant brand, which is why a single hospital can quote a range (for example about HK$156,900 to HK$161,000). Confirm which implant a quoted price uses, and discuss the choice with your surgeon.
Will insurance cover the implant?+
Many plans cover the procedure, but a premium or robotic-assisted implant can exceed Standard-Plan caps and is not always covered in full. Check implant and technique cover, and compare your limits against the package prices before booking.
以下內容僅為醫學術語的簡單解釋，並非醫療建議、診斷或治療建議。請務必向合資格醫生諮詢您的健康狀況。
This is a plain-language explanation of medical terms only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. Always consult a qualified doctor about your health.