Cardiac patients who aren’t candidates for open-heart surgery should benefit from 10-million dollars in new provincial funding to lower surgical wait times.

Health officials estimate Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation procedures will increase by 30 to 80 this year.

The province estimates an additional 1,700 surgeries will be performed before the end of March including hip and knee replacements.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority will increase surgical hours in hospitals and plan more operations in third-party facilities.

The majority of procedures will be Regina and Saskatoon where officials say some of the longest wait times are experienced with centres like Lloydminster, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw also seeing increases.