The new clinical building at Queen Mary Hospital has not completed handover after 24 of its 28 lifts were reported to have operating problems, preventing clinical services from starting as scheduled.
Development Secretary Bernadette Linn said the problems involved poor installation workmanship, possible damage to some components and dimensional deviations in parts of the external wall structure of the lift shafts.
The authorities said the deviations may have left insufficient space for the lifts to operate smoothly after installation. They have not specified the exact location, extent or cause of the deviations.
The government said it now understood the lift problems and how to resolve them, and was progressively correcting defective work. It was confident that repairs could be completed within the fourth quarter of 2026 and that all the lifts would meet the required standards.
The contractors and subcontractors involved have been asked to pay the full repair bill, meaning no additional public spending is expected. The Works Department is also retaining its right to seek compensation under the contracts.
Linn said the authorities had not immediately published a complete list of the problems because doing so could affect future contractual claims and trigger legal disputes. The Development Bureau is reviewing whether project supervision, acceptance procedures and related arrangements can be improved, and has asked two departments to submit reports.
The Hospital Authority and the Health Bureau will assess how the lift problems affect hospital services. Details including the faults affecting individual lifts, repair progress, costs and the allocation of contractual responsibility have not been provided.