Hospital parking charges defended

THE Health Service Executive Mid-West has rejected claims that new parking rates at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital would hit some patients and visitors with huge charges.

TD Peter Power said the new €1 an-hour rate could cost people up to €100 if they were staying with a sick child over a few of days.

He said: “That is madness and unacceptable.”

Up to now there was a fixed €1.20 daily rate.

However, since the car park was extended, commuters have been using it as a ‘park and ride’ facility with city buses stopping outside the hospital gates.

A HSE spokesman said they were not setting out to make money but simply to end the existing traffic management difficulties and make life easier for everybody patients, visitors and staff.

He said: “Parking charges will be capped at €10 per 24 hours and the first 20 minutes will be free to facilitate people leaving, for example, a relative or neighbour in to a clinic or ward.”

He said concessions will be given to special categories of patients such as oncology and dialysis who need to attend the hospital regularly.

The spokesman said: “We are also conscious of the need to accommodate parents who may be spending many hours at the paediatric unit with sick children and we also have concessions to cater for their longer term parking requirements.”