Being prepared: Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong (left) is briefed Monday by Hospital Authority Kowloon West Cluster Chief Executive Dr Lily Chiu on Princess Margaret Hospital's new infectious disease block.

A new $538.3 million infectious disease block will be built at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Due for completion by June 2007, the block will provide 108 isolation beds, an intensive care unit and other facilities meeting international standards. It will accommodate a clinical laboratory for the handling, collection and distribution of highly infectious specimens, and an office of the Infection Control Branch of the Centre for Health Protection.

Inspecting the site of the new block today, Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said the building will enhance Hong Kong's capacity to handle sudden large-scale communicable disease outbreaks, like SARS last year.

"In the past 12 months, we have made good progress in implementing the recommendations of the SARS Expert Committee to enhance our systems to protect the public against communicable diseases," Dr Yeoh said.

"We shall continue to enhance various aspects, including contingency planning, the public health system, research, training and infection control in hospitals."