The Queensland Government has vowed to ramp up specialist appointments under a $250 million commitment to reduce the state’s elective surgery backlog created by the COVID-19 restrictions.

State Health Minister Steven Miles outlined the quarter of a billion dollar investment on Sunday, which will ease the rising waitlist numbers and includes funding to assist with 25,000 specialist appointments.

More than 7000 Queenslanders have waited longer than medically recommended for their procedures.

“We will be able to deliver 6000 additional operations, effectively clearing that long wait list,” Mr Miles told reporters.