The Government has been told that the provision of heart surgery in New Zealand is lagging despite a high incidence of heart disease.
A working group on national cardiac surgery services has made numerous recommendations in a report to be issued on Tuesday.
According to the report, there are now fewer heart operations in New Zealand than six years ago.
It says waiting times for publicly funded cardiac surgery have been reduced to clinically acceptable levels in many countries, but not in New Zealand.
The report says cardiac surgery must be increased over the next five years from the present level of 54 operations per 100,000 people to 73 per 100,000.
It calls for a 35% increase in heart operations and many other changes to improve waiting times.
The report says one of the main challenges will be providing the necessary specialist nursing staff at a time of high vacancies.
More than 6000 people in New Zealand die of heart disease every year.
The report says the level of coronary artery surgery is 85% higher in Australia.
It also says the most urgent patients don't necessarily get the quickest treatment.
New Zealand has five hospitals that do heart operations: in Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Funding promise
Health Minister David Cunliffe told Morning Report that the Government has accepted all the recommendations and will spend $50 million over the next four years to increase the level of heart surgery done in New Zealand.
He said the money is a reallocation of funding within the health budget and would result in at least 25% more heart operations.
