Authorities to ‘pursue accountability’ over faulty lifts at Queen Mary Hospital – leader John Lee

Hong Kong authorities will “pursue accountability” over faulty construction works that resulted in tilted lift shafts in a redeveloped building at Queen Mary Hospital, leader John Lee has said.

“Regarding the misaligned lifts at Queen Mary Hospital, this must be corrected swiftly,” Lee said at a press conference on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting with the Executive Council. “Healthcare services are of utmost importance and the new hospital building will be commissioned soon.”

“We will pursue accountability, including from contractors, subcontractors, engineers, and professionals. If civil servants are involved, we will also hold them accountable,” he said.

The chief executive said that he had received a preliminary incident report from the Development Bureau, which is overseeing works at the hospital. The bureau has also been required to submit a full report into the incident within one month, he added.

“We must rectify the situation as quickly as possible and commission the new hospital building,” he said.

Structural errors

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn confirmed last week that the external walls of the building’s elevator shafts had structural “errors,” following earlier media reports that revealed the defects.

She said the errors may have left insufficient room for elevators to operate smoothly inside the building, adding that some lift components were installed “improperly.”

Linn also said that the government will review whether the Architectural Services Department and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department – the two governmental departments with direct oversight in the incident – could improve their inspection and acceptance procedures.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.