Anger as HSE figures reveal exorbitant hospital car parking fees

PEOPLE visiting sick relatives and friends at Cork University Hospital (CUH) had to fork out nearly €2 million in parking charges last year.

The charges have caused outrage and led to calls on the HSE to reduce them immediately, especially as parking at the hospital is more expensive than some city centre car parks.

Hospital visitors are charged €2.20 an hour, whereas using the Clarion Hotel’s underground car park costs just €2 per hour.

According to figures released by HSE South, the car park at CUH generated €1,925,185 in just the first 11 months of 2007. Figures are not yet available for December, one of the busiest times at the hospital.

The figures show a huge jump on the previous year where over the 12 months a total of €1,615,612 was collected in charges.

Hospital networks manager Gerry O’Dwyer said that extra parking came on stream when Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) was opened on the campus last April.

Mr O’Dwyer said that the total takings didn’t take into account the costs of security and maintenance at the car park. However, he didn’t say what these costs were.

Deputy Seán Sherlock yesterday called for a full review of pay parking at CUH and at the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital.

Last year that hospital made more than €79,000, just a few euro up on the 2006 figure. However, the reason for this is that its car park is considerably smaller than the one at CUMH.

Cork University Hospital and the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital are the only two hospitals in Cork and Kerry that have a pay car parking system in operation for the public.

“The figures clearly show a huge profit is being made by the HSE from parking and I believe a large percentage of this revenue is generated by people making repeat visits to the hospital through no fault of their own,” Mr Sherlock said.

He said he was aware of a case where parents had forked out hundreds of euro in parking fees whilst visiting their newborn baby who has had to be retained in the neo-natal unit.

“There should be a clear policy, either a discount or waiver system in such cases, and in situations where people are required to make regular weekly visits to the hospital. Some of the city centre car parks are now actually cheaper to use than the hospital when it should be the other way round,” Mr Sherlock said.

Hospital officials have stated in the past that they look favourably on hardship cases.