Travel and Vacation Planning for Dialysis Patients

If you are on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, you can travel outside of PEI with careful planning.

If you are planning a vacation or other travel, let your health care team know as soon as possible (preferably two to three months in advance). They can be a valuable resource and help with information and advice when planning your travels.

If you are travelling outside of the country, be sure to investigate proper insurance coverage.

What do I need to know about travelling and hemodialysis?

If you are on hemodialysis and want to travel for a vacation or other purposes, you will need to make many arrangements on your own.

Travel within Canada requires at least six to eight weeks' notice.

If you have a valid PEI Health Card, you do not have to pay to receive dialysis at other centres (also called units or clinics) in Canada except for private clinics in Quebec. Many centres in other provinces have the same standards of care that you receive in PEI.

Find a centre near your destination and arrange with them for dialysis treatment appointments. They will need your paperwork months in advance. If they do not receive it within the deadline specified, they can refuse to dialyze you. Your health care team can assist with the paperwork.

Travel outside of Canada requires longer notice.

Centres outside of Canada charge various fees that are the responsibility of the patient. Be sure to get the costs or additional fees in writing beforehand. You must assume all the costs of the dialysis treatment outside Canada but can provide receipts to Health PEI for a set amount of reimbursement, which is usually only a portion of each dialysis treatment.

You or your family must make initial contact with the dialysis centre to arrange dates for dialysis. At that time, you can ask the centre to send transfer forms to your health care team for completion. Tests are often required for this process so allow as much time as possible in advance.

Research the centre you will be visiting and consider aspects such as their practices and if they reuse any equipment like dialyzers.

Your health care team can provide additional supplies to take with you and letters that indicate why you are carrying these supplies through border crossings.

What do I need to know about travel and peritoneal dialysis?

If you are travelling with peritoneal dialysis, your arrangements depend on the type of travel and distance travelled.

Several weeks before travelling, you will need to arrange for peritoneal dialysis supplies to be delivered to your destination. Contact your dialysis supplier to discuss delivery fees and locations.

You may need to still carry some supplies with you, as well as a backup catheter and solution supply.

For border-crossing and customs, your health care team can provide letters explaining any supplies and medications that you are carrying with you. Some patients opt to carry their night-cycler as carry-on luggage instead of checking it. If you run into problems or have supply or equipment issues, call Baxter’s 24-hour phone line for peritoneal dialysis patients at 1-866-968-7477 (toll-free). For more information, see Baxter’s Kidney Campus Travel Club.

For travelling by car or camping, you can carry some supplies with you. As at home, you will need to store your supplies in a warm, dry place away from animals; ensure you have a clean work area; and suitable water, plumbing, and electricity.

I am travelling to PEI and need hemodialysis. How can I arrange for this?

If you are from another province or country, you may be able to access hemodialysis services while visiting PEI. Patients from Quebec and international travellers need to pay for services in advance.

The availability of hemodialysis in PEI is based on capacity and resources available. You must arrange for your hemodialysis before you travel to PEI.

It is recommended to plan a minimum of six weeks in advance of your travel. Health PEI requires that your home dialysis unit forward all of the necessary medical information as soon as possible. Upon receipt of the information, nephrologists will review the information to determine acceptance for Hemodialysis in PEI.

To prevent patients from accidentally bringing resistant bacteria into PEI, it is required that your dialysis unit perform bacterial cultures (MRSE/ VRE/CRE) four weeks prior to treatment in PEI. If these cultures show antibiotic-resistant organisms, the patient will not be permitted to dialyze in PEI. This is to protect all patients. If you require medications, including EPO (Erythropoietin), you are required to bring these medications with you.

Contact the Provincial Renal Program administrative assistant at 902-303-7069 for more information and to make arrangements.

When contacting the PEI Provincial Renal Program, you will be asked for the following information:

Transient Travel Package.
Please be advised that it is necessary for all travel documents to be submitted in English.
Patient travelling internationally should be aware that if their medical documents do not arrive in English, they may incur additional costs related to the translation of these documents.
It is recommended to ensure that all necessary paperwork and medical records are translated well in advance to facilitate smooth coordination of hemodialysis treatments.

Information on this page has been adapted with permission from BC Renal 2023.

About the Provincial Renal Program

Health PEI provides a range of kidney care and related services through the Provincial Renal Program to prevent, diagnose, and treat kidney disease including: