Health agency to take the lead in battle against Sars
The long-awaited Centre for Health Protection will open in the middle of next year to cope with a possible return of Sars and with other deadly diseases, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong announced yesterday.
The centre, which will be an agency within the Department of Health, will be headed by a chief health protection controller who will report to the director of health.
The centre will have six branches: surveillance and epidemiology, infection control, emergency response and information, public health services, programme management and professional development. It will also provide specialised clinical services for patients with tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted diseases.
The centre's chief was likely to be selected from among senior officers of the Department of Health, Dr Yeoh said, although outsiders, including overseas specialists, might also be considered.
Setting up the centre was among the major recommendations of the government-appointed panel of overseas experts, whose report of its investigation of the handling of the Sars outbreak was released in October.
Dr Yeoh said the director of health would remain the key decision-maker in exercising public health laws such as issuing isolation orders for people suspected of carrying infectious diseases.
The chief health protection controller would be in charge of the daily operations of the centre and the enforcement of decisions made by the director of health.
Dr Yeoh said the Department of Health would redeploy about 1,000 of its existing 6,000 staff to work at the new centre, which would also hire 20 experts in infectious disease and public health.
Dr Yeoh said he was unable to disclose the centre's operating costs but the sum could be up to half the Department of Health's budget.
He said the Jockey Club had donated $500 million for the centre, but this would be used up in about five years.
Dr Yeoh also announced the government had reached an agreement with mainland authorities on the vaccination of live chickens for export to Hong Kong to prevent bird flu.
The agreement would come into effect in a few months, the health chief said.
