Contractor ordered to fix faulty lifts causing Queen Mary Hospital block delay

The Hong Kong government has demanded that a contractor rectify faulty lifts in a new block at Queen Mary Hospital after multiple glitches delayed the launch of all clinical services at the building.

A veteran electrical and building services engineer said it was unusual for 24 out of 28 lifts in a new building to malfunction, while a lawmaker said the situation involving Anlev Elex Elevator was “unacceptable”, warning it could further delay completion of the HK$13.5 billion (US$1.72 billion) redevelopment project at the hospital.

Authorities have reserved the right to pursue claims for losses, according to a joint reply by the Architectural Services Department (ASD), Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Hospital Authority to the South China Morning Post on Wednesday.

Officials attributed the delayed launch of services at Clinical Block 1 to “defect rectification” of its lift works and negative-pressure systems, expecting repairs to finish within the fourth quarter of this year.

Clinical Block 1 forms part of the first phase of the multibillion-dollar redevelopment project at Queen Mary Hospital, the largest public hospital on Hong Kong Island. Construction of the 34-storey building commenced in 2018 and was completed in 2025, and clinical services were originally expected to begin relocating there from the end of last year.

The block is designed to house the accident and emergency department, emergency medicine and inpatient wards, the diagnostic radiology department, a peri-operative centre, cardiac catheterisation laboratories, and intensive care units.