Wednesday 31 October 2018
A Liberal Nationals Government will cut the cost of parking at hospitals saving eligible patients and carers up to $20 a day.
Leader of The Nationals and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said that the cost of car parking varies considerably between hospitals.
“The maximum non-concessional daily rate is $40 at Box Hill Hospital and it is $35 at Royal Melbourne and Women’s $34 at The Royal Children’s $30 at the Austin and Peter Mac $29 at St Vincent’s $27 at the Alfred and $25 across all Monash hospitals.
“This is a significant additional impost on country patients and their families and comes on top of their travelling and accommodation costs for health care that they cannot access in their own communities.”
Mr Walsh said the Liberal Nationals will fund up to $40 million to provide for around an extra 125 000 subsidised car parks each year and includes rolling out a concession eligibility policy and ensuring promotion and publicity of available concessional rates.
“We will also freeze the maximum daily rate to stop any increases for the next two years.”
The concession eligibility policy for all Victorian hospitals will include the following:
- Holders of a Federal Government concession or health care cards including Pensioners Disability support DVA and Health Care Card
- Long term patients such as patients requiring kidney dialysis and cancer treatment
- Frequent patients who are required to visit more often than twice weekly; and
- Capacity for individual consideration of patients not included in the above but facing financial hardship.
A Liberal Nationals Government will require hospitals to clearly display at the hospital in the carpark and on their website: parking fees concession-parking fees concession eligibility as well as how and where to apply for concession parking.
“Country patients and families have enough to worry about without the added stress of how they can afford hundreds of dollars a week on parking.
“A Liberal Nationals Government will ensure fair and consistent concessions state wide in all hospitals” Mr Walsh said.
