The B.C. government is implementing a new hip and knee replacement program that it says will give people living in the Fraser Health region better access to joint replacement surgery.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said there will be more hip and knee surgeries in the region this year compared to last year as part of the province's overall surgery strategy.

"To support this we are establishing five hip and knee replacements programs across B.C., of which the Burnaby Fraser Health program is one," he said. "We are making system improvements such as adding dedicated operating time for hip and knee surgeries."

Dix said there will be more than 19,000 hip and knee surgeries performed across the province this year, which the government says is a 23 per cent increase.

The Fraser Health program is one of five the government is implementing throughout the province. Last month, similar programs were announced for Vancouver General Hospital and for southern Vancouver Island. A program in Prince George was also launched in April.

Fraser Health president and CEO Michael Marchbank said in a news release that the health authority is listening to patients and recognizing they want to feel supported before and after surgery.

"We have heard from patients that the new arthroplasty centre at Burnaby Hospital has helped them to not only better prepare for their hip or knee surgeries, but also to feel more informed about their options for rehabilitation following their procedures, which is why we look forward to expanding this model to other hospitals in our region," he said.

The new hip and knee program is designed to increase the number of surgeries, reduce wait times and improve continuity of care by coordinating all the services a patient will need.