Lifts not working properly at redeveloped QMH facility

The government revealed that issues with the lifts during the redevelopment of Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) have delayed the opening of clinical services at the facility. Officials have indicated they may seek financial compensation from the contractors responsible. According to a report by Ming Pao, Clinical Block 1 at the hospital commenced operating in stages the previous year, but the lift system has been plagued by persistent problems. Only four out of the 28 lifts were operational, as reported by the newspaper.

The Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, and the Hospital Authority issued a joint statement affirming that the lift installation and operation had not met contractual requirements. An official spokesperson stated that the contractors have been instructed to rectify the situation as swiftly as possible, with a deadline set for completion by the fourth quarter of the current year.

The clinical building is part of a ten-year, HK$13.5 billion redevelopment project at QMH. The spokesperson clarified that only non-clinical facilities, including a restaurant, a convenience store, and laboratories, are currently operational within the building. According to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, there have been seven reported incidents of lift failures at the facility, involving the contractor Anlev Elevator Limited, between July 2025 and June of this year.

These failures included component faults that led to passengers being trapped. A particularly tragic incident occurred in July of the previous year, where a technician was trapped in a lift shaft and later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.