‘Taxing’ the ill is a sick joke

Eilish O’Regan (‘Tax on sick’, Irish

Independent, March 12) reports that in excess of €1m per month is collected in car parking charges at our public hospitals. These charges are a sick joke.

The report adds that nearly €13m in just a year has been raked in.

The Irish Cancer Society has carried out a public petition that has been signed by more than 3,300 people, calling for the charges to be scrapped for cancer patients and their families.

The last thing people who are dealing with serious illness and invasive treatments need is the added stress and anxiety brought about by this out of pocket expenditure at a most vulnerable time in their lives.

A serious illness diagnosis hits the unfortunate patient in three different ways: physically, psychologically and financially.

They do not need this extra worry as they sit in their hospital bed dealing with their very changed life circumstances.

These charges can be anything up to €15 per day, all dependent on what part of the country you live.

The HSE has confirmed there is no national policy in place governing hospital car park charges at present.

It seems to me that a national policy must be put in place to regulate these charges at our public hospitals as a matter of urgency.

This would certainly help to go some way to alleviate the stress, strain and worry of the seriously ill person.

Tom Towey

Cloonacool, Co Sligo