Hong Kong’s new clinical building at Queen Mary Hospital has been plagued by persistent lift malfunctions since its commissioning, prompting direct intervention from the city’s top leadership. The 34-storey facility, part of a HK$13.5 billion project, has experienced frequent elevator failures that have delayed the relocation of clinical services and raised questions about construction quality and government oversight.
The problem first came to public attention in mid-August after only four of the building’s 28 lifts were operational, well behind the original target for service commencement set for late last year. The widespread lift breakdowns disrupted hospital operations and led Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to instruct the Development Bureau to conduct an investigation and provide a report within one month. Lee pledged to hold accountable all parties responsible for the failures, including contractors, subcontractors, engineering professionals, and government officials, though he did not clarify why the government had not applied its “heads of department accountability system” designed to enhance governance.
A joint statement issued last month by the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), and the Hospital Authority attributed the delays primarily to the need for “defect rectification” involving lifts and negative-pressure systems, with repairs expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year. Subsequent updates revealed that improper installation of certain lift components and dimensional deviations in the lift shafts—resulting in insufficient clearance for smooth operation—were key causes of the faults.
Authorities have withheld full disclosure of all issues related to the lift failures, citing concerns that revealing detailed information might compromise the government’s legal position in pursuing claims against contractors. Nonetheless, between July 2025 and June 2026, seven separate lift failures were reported at the Queen Mary Hospital building, accounting for 28 percent of all elevator incidents citywide during that period. These incidents included passengers being trapped due to electrical or component malfunctions and one case involving a passenger tripping caused by levelling errors.
The main contractor, a joint venture led by Paul Y Engineering Group, along with the lift subcontractor Anlev Elex Elevator, have been held financially responsible for the remedial work. Despite this, experts and observers argue that the crisis extends beyond an individual mechanical failure or contractor dispute and indicates deeper systemic issues in construction quality, project supervision, and regulatory enforcement.
The government faces pressure to transparently and independently investigate how these serious defects escaped detection through multiple monitoring stages. Questions have been raised regarding the professionalism within the civil engineering sector and the adequacy of internal controls on public infrastructure projects.
Reports emerged that a senior civil servant overseeing the lift installation has left her post amid the controversy. The government has denied this was a forced resignation, attributing the departure to "personal reasons." Nonetheless, public confidence hinges on a credible inquiry, thorough transparency, and appropriate accountability to ensure lessons are learned and similar problems are prevented in future developments. Authorities have acknowledged the need to address the identified shortcomings promptly to restore faith in public works management.