Contractors will bear repair costs for lift defects at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong development chief says

Hong Kong's Development Secretary Bernadette Linn has announced that government contractors will be responsible for covering the full repair costs of faulty lift work at the Queen Mary Hospital redevelopment project. The issue has caused tilted elevator shafts, leading to delays in the full reopening of Clinical Block 1 at the hospital.

Linn noted that external walls of the building’s elevator shafts have structural "errors," which may have left insufficient room for elevators to operate smoothly. She confirmed that some lift components were installed improperly, likening the new elevator shafts to Italy’s leaning Tower of Pisa. The Hong Kong Economic Times had reported on the structural defect last week, based on unnamed sources.

Linn defended the government's piecemeal-style disclosure process, stating that full transparency could lead to future legal disputes. She promised that proper disclosures would be made in due course, and that the government will review whether the two departments can improve their inspection and acceptance procedures.