A flu clinic will be set up in each of the city's 18 districts during an outbreak of bird flu, the Hospital Authority said yesterday.
Liu Shao-haei, chairman of the authority's central committee on infectious disease, said public hospitals had 1,415 isolation beds to deal with a pandemic. The district flu clinics will be responsible for screening flu patients before they are put in isolation.
Dr Liu said elective operations and services would be suspended during a pandemic. The authority would also liaise closely with private clinics and hospitals.
More than 300 nurses and 30 doctors from the private sector have volunteered to help the government in any outbreak.
The offers came after the Centre for Health Protection appealed to all health-care professionals to assist in treating any victims.
'We hope there will be a real co-operation between the two sectors,' said Choi Kin, president of the Hong Kong Medical Association.