KEY POINTS:
A funding injection for the health sector to be unveiled this afternoon will be "in excess of $100 million", says Health Minister David Cunliffe.
Cunliffe said the package, to be unveiled at Auckland's Starship children's hospital, would be directed at orthopaedic and cataract waiting lists and "might involve some new categories".
He said the funding would be distributed over several years and be "drawn up along the lines of population-based funding".
But some in the health sector have greeted the election-year move with scepticism.
Middlemore Hospital orthopaedic surgeon Dr Michael Flint said he thought the entire sector needed extra funding, but "any money would be useful".
He said past funding for orthopaedics had targeted joint replacements when other parts of the sector also needed help.
And he was concerned the money should be spent in the right areas, including infrastructure. "There needs to be more beds, more nurses, more staff.
"The hospitals are working to capacity at the moment."
Greenlane Clinical Centre clinical director of ophthalmology Dr Sue Ormonde said the money would be welcomed but eye diseases other than cataracts needed to be considered.
"Cataracts ultimately don't cause permanent visual loss. There are eye conditions that do cause permanent visual loss if not treated," she said.
And eye surgeon Dr Mark Donaldson said politicians were "jolly interested in cataracts but that's not all that we do".
Cunliffe's announcement comes days before the Budget.
The Government unveiled a four-year, $200m package in 2006 to provide elective surgery to an extra 10,000 patients a year.
National Party health spokesman Tony Ryall said New Zealand had fallen behind in elective surgery during Labour's eight years in power.
"Labour has doubled the health budget in the past eight years, and New Zealanders aren't getting double the service."
