Families of children battling cancer have demanded an end to “unjustifiable” hospital parking charges.
The call comes as overworked medics at the Mater Hospital in Dublin are being asked to fork out €2,000 a year for a permit.
The Irish Cancer Society and Children In Hospital Ireland have blasted car park fees – which can cost up to €4 an hour – and called for them to be scrapped or significantly reduced.
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They laid bare the realities of the situation in a report published yesterday called The Hidden Cost of Hospital Car Parking for Families.
Mum Laura Cullinan, whose 10-year-old daughter Isobel was diagnosed with cancer twice, told how she has paid up to €32 per day to park during regular trips from Roscommon to Mullingar and Dublin for treatment.
She said: “Isobel was just a toddler when we entered the world of childhood cancer.
“During this harrowing time, we would use the hospital car parks for long periods, often paying multiple times in a day.
“We welcome the recommendations for signposting parking concessions and reduced parking rates for families affected by childhood, adolescent and young adult cancers.
“We are also hopeful that this report will help policymakers understand the real hidden costs of cancer so that more financial assistance is forthcoming.
“The cancer journey is hard enough without additional financial stress.”
It comes as an email seen by The Irish Mirror told healthcare professionals working at the Mater they could use the hospital facility operated by Euro Car Parks on Eccles Street for a hefty €3 an hour, €15 for 24 hours or €2,000 a year.
A source told us: “It’s absolutely scandalous how much staff are expected to pay.
“The last thing a doctor, nurse or health care assistant wants to worry about when they’re treating a patient is their car parking bill. The hospital is serviced by a number of bus routes but sometimes these aren’t viable options if somebody has a really early start time or finishes late.
“We’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis and this just isn’t good enough. All hospital car parking should be free, it’s an absolute money racket.”
Staff who have an on-call shift can use a free car park located on the North Circular Road – but this is regularly full.
The source added: “Most of the time, the on-call car park is usually still full in the morning from staff who have yet to finish the night shift or 24-hour shift.
“People are left with two choices, either they pay for on-street parking which costs a fortune or use the hospital car park on Eccles Street.
“They never have time to move their car to the on-call car park once it clears and end up paying €15 after a stressful on-call shift.”
Meanwhile, mum Fiona Fallon, whose daughter Anna suffers from congenital heart disease, said parents have enough to worry about.
She told how she has been forced to run out of appointments to ensure her car doesn’t get clamped. Fiona explained: “It was an added stress having to watch the clock and worry about having the cash to pay for parking while you discuss something as important as your daughter’s life.”
Speaking about the report, Irish Cancer Society chief Averil Power said: “Children and young people rely on families to support them through care.
“This often involves costly expenses like overnight stays for family members, paying for meals and childcare for siblings for extended periods – all in the worst cost of living crisis in four decades.
“We know from research that these added costs are on top of a €15,000 income hit for families that comes with a childhood cancer diagnosis.
“Government must step up in this month’s Budget to help lighten the load by removing or significantly reducing these unjustifiable charges.”
Children In Hospital chief Anna Gunning added: “Parents caring for their child should not be faced with this excessive financial burden.”
A spokeswoman for the Mater Hospital told The Irish Mirror: "The Mater Hospital’s priority is to be at the frontier of compassion, concern and clinical care for all our patients.
"The Mater Hospital does not operate or receive any payment from the car park at the hospital.
"This car park is run by Euro Car Parks and all queries regarding its operations and charges should be directed to Euro Car Parks or Eccles Car Park Limited."READ MORE:
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