Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman says more patients in the Waikato District Health Board area are receiving the elective surgeries they need.

Delivering more elective surgeries has been a priority for this Government and Dr Coleman credits the improvements 'to the hard-working health professionals in Waikato”.

Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman. Photo:File

'In the last financial year 15,693 Waikato patients received elective surgery, compared to 10,125 in 2007/2008. That's a 55 percent increase.”

Waikato DHB's funding has increased by $257 million over the last seven years, including $44m in new money for this year – taking it to a total of $1,115 million for 2015/16.

That funding increase is supported from the $400m invested into health this year in Budget 2015.

'We have committed to investing around $1.7 billion in health over the next four years for new initiatives and to meet cost pressures and population growth,” says Dr Coleman.

'This includes $98m to provide more New Zealanders with timely elective surgery, and to improve the prevention and treatment of orthopaedic conditions.

Dr Coleman adds the current Government inherited a 'wasteful and inefficient system” that failed to deliver on what Kiwis required.

'In contrast, we have set clear health targets and lifted elective surgeries nationwide by 42 percent, from 117,954 in 2007/2008, to 167,188 in 2014/2015.”