Guangzhou No 8 People's Hospital will soon begin construction of a specialized HIV/AIDS wing, the first in the province dedicated specifically to treating the disease.

The first phase of construction on the new facility will begin in the first quarter of next year and should be completed by 2008, said Tang Xiaoping, president of the hospital.

With an initial investment of 300 million yuan (US$38.4 million), the new wing will house at least 200 beds for AIDS patients.

The HIV/AIDS wing is part of a bigger plan to expand and relocate Guangzhou No 8 People's Hospital. Construction on the new site will start next year.

The hospital, which has been caring for patients for about 80 years, specializes in treating infectious diseases, including AIDS, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and bird flu.

Tang said the hospital currently occupies just 8,000 square metres, providing only 400 beds.

The new hospital, to be located in the city's northern district of Huadu, will be expanded to 120,000 square metres, providing nearly 1,000 beds.

"With more people suffering from infectious diseases, we will increase our capacity to treat them," Tang said.

Sources with the Guangdong Provincial Health Department said 4,823 cases of HIV had been reported in the first 10 months of this year.

Tang, who is also an expert in treating HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, said the hospital had started offering specialized HIV/AIDS services in 2002. The hospital was the first in the country to treat AIDS patients.

"The HIV/AIDS wing project is part of Guangzhou's effort to improve its public health system in the years ahead, as well as an important supporting sanitation project for the 2010 Asian Games," Tang said.

Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong Province, will host the 2010 Asian Games.

Tang said the hospital's new location would be near the new Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"It will be helpful for the hospital to combine its medical strength with the Guangzhou CDC in the future and better provide medical service to people with infectious diseases," said the president of the hospital.

Editor: Yan