Canterbury District Health Board is out-sourcing more cardiac surgery for the next two years.
Christchurch hospital is short of space in operating theatres and intensive care unit and the board says that, along with quake damage, sparked the move.
The board has arranged for St George's private hospital in Christchurch to do at least 100 cardiac operations a year until June 2013.
A similar arrangement in the past, which resumed last year, saw 33 cardiac operations done at St George's, at a cost of $1.2 million.
