No HBOT facilities of any kind. Patients are referred out of province.
Quick Answer
Is HBOT covered in Prince Edward Island? Prince Edward Island has no hyperbaric oxygen therapy facilities of any kind. Patients requiring HBOT for any of the 14 Health Canada-recognised conditions are referred out of province, most commonly to the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia (approximately 250 km from Charlottetown via the Confederation Bridge). Health PEI coordinates interprovincial referrals through the patient's physician. Diving emergencies on the Northumberland Strait or off the North Shore should be reported by calling 911 immediately for emergency department coordination.
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Hospital Programmes
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Private Clinics
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Total Facilities
14
Recognised Conditions
Insurance Program
Health PEI
Coverage Type
No HBOT facilities of any kind. Patients are referred out of province.
Wait Times
Interprovincial referral to QEII Halifax: approximately 12 to 18 months for chronic and elective cases; emergencies treated immediately.
Physician referral for out-of-province treatment, typically to Nova Scotia (QEII Halifax) or Newfoundland (Health Sciences Centre, St. John's).
Speak with your family physician or specialist about whether HBOT is appropriate for your condition (one of the 14 Health Canada-recognised indications).
Your physician initiates an interprovincial referral, most commonly to the QEII Health Sciences Centre hyperbaric programme in Halifax, Nova Scotia, through Health PEI and the receiving facility.
Emergency indications can be transferred immediately through emergency department coordination; chronic and elective cases face a wait of approximately 12 to 18 months at QEII due to capacity constraints.
For Newfoundland-routed referrals (less common), the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's receives the patient through similar physician-to-physician coordination.
Travel and accommodation arrangements depend on urgency and patient circumstances; provincial medical transport is arranged for emergencies. Treatment at the receiving facility is typically covered through the interprovincial billing arrangement; out-of-pocket costs depend on the specific indication and travel.
Nearest Alternative
QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, NS (~250 km via Confederation Bridge) or Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, NL.
Hyperbaric emergencies in Prince Edward Island (suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, arterial gas embolism, decompression sickness from diving, severe necrotising soft-tissue infection) require interprovincial transport, as the province has no hyperbaric chamber.
Emergency Routing
Call 911 first for any acute medical emergency. The receiving emergency department physician at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Charlottetown) or Prince County Hospital (Summerside) coordinates urgent interprovincial transfer, most commonly to the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia (approximately 250 km from Charlottetown via the Confederation Bridge, or by air ambulance for time-critical cases). For diving-related emergencies, the Divers Alert Network (DAN) emergency hotline is 1-919-684-9111 and can advise on the nearest active recompression chamber.
PEI's closest hyperbaric facility is the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia (approximately 250 km from Charlottetown via the Confederation Bridge, plus driving distance to Halifax). The Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland is a more distant alternative (requires air or ferry travel). For elective and chronic indications, patients should expect a wait of 12 to 18 months at QEII due to capacity constraints. Air ambulance transfer is arranged for time-critical emergencies through Health PEI's critical care transport coordination.
Health PEI is the integrated provincial health authority responsible for hospital and community health services across Prince Edward Island. Health PEI does not operate a hyperbaric chamber and coordinates interprovincial referrals for HBOT through the patient's physician to receiving facilities in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland.
Prince Edward Island patients accessing HBOT through interprovincial referral are treated for the 14 conditions identified by Health Canada as accepted indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These include emergency indications (carbon monoxide poisoning, gas embolism, decompression sickness, gas gangrene, necrotising soft-tissue infections, crush injury and acute traumatic ischaemia, severe blood loss anaemia, intracranial abscess, central retinal artery occlusion, sudden sensorineural hearing loss) and chronic/elective indications (problem wounds including diabetic foot ulcers, late effects of radiation, compromised grafts and flaps, refractory osteomyelitis, thermal burns).
Important Note
PEI has no hyperbaric facilities. The province has the smallest population in Canada and patients requiring HBOT must travel to neighbouring provinces. Canada Hyperbarics has no commercial relationship with Health PEI or with the receiving out-of-province facilities.
No. Prince Edward Island has no hyperbaric oxygen therapy facilities of any kind. Patients requiring HBOT are referred out of province, most commonly to the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Out-of-province referrals for medically necessary treatment of the 14 Health Canada-recognised conditions are coordinated through your physician and Health PEI. Treatment at the receiving facility is typically covered through interprovincial billing; travel and accommodation are usually the patient's responsibility unless covered by a specific medical transport program.
The QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia is approximately 250 km from Charlottetown via the Confederation Bridge (plus the drive across mainland Nova Scotia to Halifax). For Newfoundland routing (less common), the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's requires air or ferry travel.
PEI patients accessing HBOT through interprovincial referral are treated for the 14 Health Canada-recognised conditions, which include carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, gas embolism, gas gangrene, necrotising soft-tissue infections, crush injury, severe anaemia, intracranial abscess, central retinal artery occlusion, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, problem wounds, late effects of radiation, compromised grafts and flaps, refractory osteomyelitis, and thermal burns.
At the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, the most common receiving facility for PEI patients, chronic and elective cases commonly wait 12 to 18 months due to staffing and chamber capacity. Emergencies are accepted immediately through emergency department coordination.
Call 911. The receiving emergency department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown or Prince County Hospital in Summerside coordinates urgent transfer to the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, by ground or air ambulance depending on clinical urgency. For diving-related emergencies, the Divers Alert Network (DAN) hotline at 1-919-684-9111 can advise on the nearest active recompression chamber.
Most chronic indications require a course of 20 to 40 daily sessions, with some radiation indications requiring up to 60 sessions. Each session typically lasts 90 to 120 minutes. PEI patients should plan for an extended stay near the receiving facility for the duration of treatment.
No public timeline has been announced for a hyperbaric chamber in Prince Edward Island. The province's small population (under 175,000) makes a dedicated hospital chamber unlikely on capacity grounds; interprovincial referral to Nova Scotia remains the standard pathway.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-23