There is a determined move underway to improve frontline health spending. Annual Government spending on health is now $13.5 billion a year. That is $1.4 billion more than was spent in 2008. Indeed the increase in health spending was one of the very few increases in spending allowed for in the 2010 Budget.

2009 saw the largest ever boost in elective surgery - over 13,000 more operations than the year before. This is things like joint replacements, nose and throat surgeries and eye cataract removal. There is a further $59.5 million in this year's Budget for elective surgery.

Bowel cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand. A $24 million nationwide screening pilot has been set up to see if the early detection of bowel cancer is feasible. It is eventually hoped to cut the death rate from bowel cancer by more than a third, saving 270 lives a year.

It's the Government's objective to increase the number of medical school places by 200 over five years, 60 additional places were funded last year and another 20 will be funded this year.

Areas of low priority spending will continue to be shifted to high priority frontline services.