Green TD Steven Matthews has welcomed the establishment of a working group in the Department of Health which will develop a national policy on the introduction of a cap on hospital parking charges. The Programme for Government commits to introducing a maximum daily car parking charge for patients and visitors at all public hospitals. Following the submission of a parliamentary question to the Minister for Health on this issue, Deputy Steven Matthews said:
“I am calling for an accelerated timeline to cap parking charges in all public hospitals. The existing situation is not fair for those suffering with chronic illnesses or for their friends and families who accompany them to various hospital visits. The cost of parking is extremely high, and for those that may have to visit hospital more than once a week and often for a significant amount of time, this puts an undue financial burden on them. This leads to additional worry and stress at a time when a patient’s focus should be on their health.
“I welcome the establishment of a working group in the Department of Health which will issue recommendations for the introduction of a cap on parking charges at all public hospitals. This measure is urgently needed and should be introduced as soon as possible. We need to take a compassionate approach in addressing this issue and do our utmost to relieve the stress experienced by those attending hospital appointments. Ultimately, capping hospital charges would not cost much in the scheme of things but would help to reduce the financial burden experienced by patients and their families, as well as voluntary groups that operate pickup and drop off services for patients.
“I look forward to working with the Minister for Health on this issue and reviewing the recommendations issued by the working group”, Deputy Matthews concluded.
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