More than 300 patients will be affected when Rotorua's junior doctors walk off the job for a second time, protesting their work conditions.
The 73-hour strike by junior doctors will begin at 7am tomorrow and will run through until 8am on Friday.
The 65 elective surgeries and 242 outpatient clinic appointments at Rotorua and Taupo Hospitals have been rescheduled due to the strike.
The 307 patients were contacted last week.
In a written statement, Lakes District Health Board said contingency planning meetings had been held daily at Rotorua Hospital since notice of the impending three-day strike.
Lakes DHB staff have been working through different aspects of planning, making arrangements for the strike.
Lakes DHB chief operations officer Nick Saville-Wood said staff had tried to reduce the number of patients in the hospital ahead of the strike days.
The strike action will involve a complete withdrawal of labour by members of the New Zealand Resident Doctors' Association (NZRDA), the union for Resident Medical Officers or junior doctors.
A total of 76 junior doctors are currently employed by Lakes DHB, with most of them members of the union. Some members have indicated they will not strike and will be available for clinical duties.
While nearly all elective procedures are being postponed, two theatres will be staffed to allow for acute surgery to proceed.
Only urgent cases will be able to be dealt with at the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital during the industrial action.
Taupo Hospital does not employ junior doctors so is not expecting to be greatly affected by the strike action.
"People should ensure they are up to date with their prescriptions and other requirements, and if they get into difficulty, they should make their GP or Lakes Prime Care their first port of call," Mr Saville-Wood said.
The contingency planning focuses on ensuring the continuing provision of essential emergency services including acute surgery, emergency department care, intensive care, and maternity care.
Mr Saville-Wood said it was important that people who live in the Lakes district did not go to Rotorua or Taupo Hospitals with minor health issues.