It also plans to appoint an extra 330 cardiology consultants and 80 cardiothoracic consultants in England by 2005.

The announcement came as Health Secretary Alan Milburn met top heart surgeons and doctors on Monday to set out new targets for heart surgery.

The BBC's John Pienaar: "It will take time and money"

The summit signalled the launch of the government's drive to "urgently" modernise all NHS cardiac services and tackle cancer and mental health problems.

However, Shadow Health Secretary Liam Fox said the change of emphasis showed the government believed its policy to cut the number of people on waiting lists by 100,000 has failed.

And doctors' leaders said it would be difficult to launch a sustained attack on waiting lists and serious diseases with present levels of funding.

But Mr Milburn said the current targets were to stay in place. He said: "We will meet the waiting list pledge by the election, but that's just a start.

"We need to modernise every aspect of National Health Service treatment, starting with the big killers of heart disease, cancer and mental health."

'New targets'

The drive starts on Monday when the 12 cardiac specialists will be called in to the Department of Health's Whitehall headquarters.

Alan Milburn says he will not go back on election promises

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "Mr Milburn is going to set new targets for extra cardiac operations, to expand the number of cardiac consultants over the next few years and to signal the launch of a blueprint for prevention, treatment, care and specialisations."

Next week the health secretary will launch a review of NHS cancer services.

He is expected to demand that no suspected cancer sufferers should wait more than two weeks between being referred by a GP and seeing a specialist.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said the health service could not keep up the pressure on waiting lists and divert extra resources to tackle cancer and heart disease.

Alan Milburn speaking on BBC Radio

Dr Peter Hawker, chairman of the association's consultants' committee, said: "It will be very difficult (to do both) - we can only do so much with the current resources.

"If it's part of a longer term co-ordinated plan which we've been pushing for to move things forward, I think over a few years we can achieve everything."

He told the BBC: "We can't do it quickly, we can't do it on a one off."

Dr Liam Fox: "As the BMA says, you can't have both"

Shadow Health Secretary Liam Fox said Mr Milburn had realised the election pledge to cut waiting lists was diverting resources away from really important priorities.

He said: "He's stuck with the government's pledge on waiting lists which Tony Blair is too arrogant to admit he got wrong and misled people for two years, so he is being left to try to do two different things within one budget."

Lord Hunt: "Very many of these deaths are preventable"

Junior health minister Lord Hunt denied it was pointless to take action on waiting lists.

"It isn't irrelevant to those people who are waiting, nor is it irrelevant the fact that no-one is now having to wait more than 18 months for treatment."