Patients affected by the junior doctors strike next week are being contacted to let them know, the Southern District Health Board says.
The board released a statement yesterday saying postponements were determined on a case-by-case basis.
Elective surgery cases and ''many'' outpatient clinics were being rescheduled.
When contacted, a spokeswoman said the board did not yet know the number of cases that would be postponed.
The board employed 269 junior doctors, and did not know how many were union members nor how many would turn up to work during the strike.
It starts at 7am next Tuesday.
Interim chief executive Chris Fleming said the strike would disrupt services, and as all DHBs were involved, no external support was available.
''Our workforce will be reduced during the strike period and we need to ensure those working during that period are available to care for the patients we have with high and complex needs, as well as those needing emergency care and for urgent procedures, such as cancer surgery,'' Mr Fleming said in the statement.
Junior doctors, who are also known as resident medical officers, range in experience from first-year qualified doctors to those with more than 12 years' experience.
The New Zealand Resident Doctors' Association ran a campaign centred on safe working hours during protracted pay negotiations with DHBs.
