New $65m Plan to Deliver 75,000 Extra Diagnostic Tests and Cut Wait Times

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the initiative is designed to reduce long wait times for critical diagnostic services, including MRI scans, colonoscopies, cardiac tests, and colposcopies.

The New Zealand Government has announced a $65 million Diagnostic Improvement Plan that will see Health New Zealand deliver nearly 75,000 additional diagnostic procedures over the next year. Health Minister Simeon Brown said the initiative is designed to reduce long wait times for critical diagnostic services, including MRI scans, colonoscopies, cardiac tests, and colposcopies.

Tackling Waitlists and Delays

Currently, an estimated 40,000 New Zealanders are waiting longer than clinically recommended for diagnostic tests. According to Brown, these delays not only create distress and anxiety for patients and their families but also postpone the start of essential treatment, ultimately adding pressure to already stretched hospital services.

“By expanding access to diagnostics, we will ensure people get the answers they need sooner, doctors can diagnose conditions earlier, and patients can begin treatment without unnecessary delays. For many, this could be life-changing,” the Minister said.

Scale of the Investment

The $65 million funding will enable Health New Zealand districts to increase both in-house diagnostic capacity and outsourcing to private providers where cost-effective. The goal is to maximize service delivery for patients while ensuring workforce sustainability.

The additional procedures expected this year include:

• 64,000 radiology procedures

• 7,100 colonoscopies

• 2,200 cardiac tests

• 1,650 colposcopies

This expansion comes alongside a targeted workforce growth plan, with work underway to boost training places in radiology and echo-sonography to meet future demand.

Building on Recent Reforms

The Diagnostic Improvement Plan builds on the Government’s earlier $30 million investment in community-referred radiology. That programme allows general practitioners, urgent care doctors, and nurse practitioners to directly refer patients for ultrasounds, CT scans, and x-rays without the need for a hospital specialist or emergency department referral.

Previously, patients faced lengthy waits just to see a hospital specialist before they could even be added to the waitlist for a scan. The new approach bypasses that bottleneck, cutting wait times at multiple stages of the process.

Reducing Hospital Pressure

Minister Brown stressed that the reforms are not only about faster diagnoses but also about easing the burden on hospitals. By boosting diagnostic capacity and widening referral pathways, the programme will:

• Free up specialists to focus on first specialist assessments and elective surgeries.

• Reduce unnecessary emergency department pressure caused by delayed diagnoses.

• Minimise “double-handling” of patients by cutting out avoidable steps.

“This is about putting patients first,” Brown emphasised. “By increasing diagnostic capacity, we’re ensuring New Zealanders get the tests they need when they need them, so they can get answers and treatment faster.”

Collaboration for Delivery

Health New Zealand has been tasked with ensuring the plan is successfully rolled out. The Minister confirmed he has asked Health New Zealand to work closely with the APEX union, which represents diagnostic professionals, to ensure smooth delivery and support for staff involved.

Brown reiterated that the Government’s focus remains firmly on meeting its health targets and restoring public confidence in timely access to care. “This investment is a crucial step in reducing wait times, improving patient outcomes, and strengthening our health system for the future.”