Hospital parking charges ‘wrong’

Palmerston North Hospital is extending free parking by 10 minutes amid calls to scrap payments altogether.

One of its board members says it should stop making money from vulnerable patients and families by only charging for long-haul parking, while hospital users want the charge gone.

In the meantime, free parking is this month extending from 30 to 40 minutes.

The Midcentral District Health Board mooted the idea last year, but has opted to proceed now.

It is an attempt by the board to remedy the quagmire on surrounding streets caused by staff and patients not willing to fork out for parking.

Board member Karen Naylor said 40 minutes didn’t go far enough.

Naylor said the hospital already made enough money off parking and suggested the free period could extend to an hour.

‘‘I recognise we do have challenges in the DHB with our financial situation, however, I’m not comfortable with looking to patients and their families as a way to try address that.’’

Midcentral is in deficit of $1.3 million for the year to date.

The cost for public parking at the hospital is $2 an hour, to a daily maximum of $8. The basic staff rate is $2 a day.

Michelle Pugh said visiting a family member in hospital became so expensive, her family gave up.

They had to drive from Levin when her father had bowel cancer and spent a month in hospital.

‘‘With parking on top of that, it is wrong at every level.

‘‘What we ended up doing was ringing him.’’

Pugh said her family was never offered free parking because of their situation.

She said the extra 10 minutes was ‘‘nice, but not enough’’.

‘‘It is a stressful time. You’re not there for shopping. You’re there because someone is ill.’’

Teida Hohipa said paying for parking is appalling.

‘‘I honestly think it is a bit rude to ask the community to pay for parking at a hospital.

‘‘It is a stressful time. You’re not there for shopping. You’re there because someone is ill.’’ Michelle Pugh

‘‘You can’t say people get seen within 40 minutes in the emergency department.’’

She spent more than seven hours there on Christmas Eve.

‘‘It is a day when you can least afford it.’’

Midcentral chief executive Kathryn Cook said there were a ‘‘range of opportunities’’ for people to get free parking if hospital staff knew they were coming regularly.

Specific services, such as paediatrics and cancer, had such arrangements. ‘‘We do encourage people who are experiences difficulties to raise those.’’

Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-galloway said parking, whatever the cost, was a barrier. ‘‘I know from my own experience having a loved one in hospital for an extended period of time, you can generate an enormous parking cost.’’