Media release from minister of health Tony Ryall

A record 138,443 patients had elective surgery in the last financial year, says Health Minister Tony Ryall.

Releasing the 2009/10 elective surgery totals, Mr Ryall says "8,600 more patients than last year got the operations they needed. In the previous financial year just under 130,000 patients had elective surgery."

"This increase is more than four-times the previous government's average annual increase."

"We've had a dramatic increase in elective surgery in our first year, and we are building on that base year on year."

All specialities had increases. In total, the past year saw 20,665 patients receiving orthopaedic operations, 30,533 patients benefiting from general surgery, and nearly 2,000 patients getting heart and thoracic surgery.  

"This government has made improving access to elective surgery a top priority, and overall DHBs have responded very well," says Mr Ryall.

"I would like to thank staff around the country for delivering this improved access to elective surgery."

"At the last election, the government pledged to increase elective surgery by an average of 4,000 patients a year as part of a plan to meet real need. We aimed to deliver elective operations to 130,000 patients a year by the end of our first term, and achieved that in our first year. Now we have exceeded that by another 8,600."