Hospital offers €4 parking charge

PATIENTS need to be told that there is a special reduced parking fee for those attending Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, so frequently that it may cause financial hardship. THE hospital has confirmed, following Parliamentary Questions submitted by Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster, that it offers reduced parking fee arrangements where patients, parents or relatives are attending the hospital on a frequent basis and where the burden of car parking charges may cause or increase hardship. The rate offered is a flat fee of€4 per day, regardless of length of stay or number of visits on a given day. HOSPITAL Management advise that in such cases the ward manager or social worker dealing with the patient or their family will make them aware of the provision of such arrangements and arrange for the appropriate process to be put in place. HOWEVER, Sinn Féin TD, Imelda Munster believes that it is not good enough to expect the already hard pushed hospital staff to be in a position to ensure that patients and their families are aware of this arrangement, nor does every patient have a social worker appointed to them. ‘IF they genuinely want people to avail of this facility then they need to be up-front and pro-active about it,’ says Deputy Munster. ‘IN the interests of transparency, I have contacted the hospital management requesting that they advertise the availability of the €4 flat fee strategically in Car Parks, at the Parking Pay Zones, at Reception as well as on lifts and notice boards throughout the hospital.’ ‘ THE public are clearly not aware of this!’