Hon Pete Hodgson
Minister of Health

18 September 2007 Media Statement

7000 more people get operations

Nearly 7000 more New Zealanders received surgery in 2006/7 than the previous year, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said today.

The number of patients who received elective surgery in the last financial year rose from 105,694 to 112,507 an increase of nearly 7000 procedures.

"In October last year I announced a significant new investment in elective surgery and these figures show that New Zealander are already benefiting from that investment," Pete Hodgson said.

The investment of an additional $200 million for elective surgery procedures over the next four years aimed to give an extra 10,000 more New Zealanders a year access to elective surgical procedures.

“Given these figures take into account just nine months of additional investment we are clearly well on our way to achieving that goal,” Pete Hodgson said.

Pete Hodgson said this significant investment was only possible now that DHBs had effective booking systems in place that deliver fair prioritisation for patients.

"We now have one of the fairest and most transparent elective surgical systems in the world, where people who need treatment the most will get it first and where someone who is promised treatment will receive it within six months," Pete Hodgson said.

The figures are conservative because they include types of surgery that, for reason of advancing technology, are actually decreasing. For example slight fewer heart bypass grafts are now undertaken but the preferred alternative, angioplasty, is not included in because it is not classified as surgery.

Similarly the figures do not include the increases in endoscopes, colonoscopy or dental surgery and nor do they include the increase in minor surgical procedures in outpatient clinics

ENDS

Attahced, graph detailing the number of elective surgery procedures since 2002/2003

Click to enlarge

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