MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Uri Maklev feels that instead of providing a service to patients and their families, hospital parking lots have become a source of hefty income for hospitals at the expense of patients.
During a Knesset discussion on the topic, Maklev explained there is a serious lack of hospital parking in these lots, and for many, they are too expensive. He feels the fees must be reduced to permit patients and visitors to park. He is calling for a comprehensive study to establish the costs of all hospital parking, citing for families of persons who are admitted for a prolonged period, the accumulative cost often become prohibitive.
Maklev calls for increasing the current standard, which is 1.5 parking spaces per patient, which he feels is insufficient today. He turns to the Israel Lands Authority to report how much area is allotted to hospitals for parking and the need for authorities to increase the allocation for parking as new hospitals are being built. He feels the arnona tax charged on these areas only increases costs to patients and their families.
He adds many patients are treated in outpatient clinics and they are often not feeling their best and for as long as hospitals also serve as outpatient clinics, sufficient, accessible and affordable parking is a must.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
MK Maklev misses the point. The hospitals are severely underfunded and they have to raise needed revenues any way they can. Making money off parking lots, cafeterias, etc. is critical to their financial well being and unless Maklev proposes to increase their budgets for medical facilities and services, high parking fees are a reality.
Agree! The same can be said for paid on-street parking where the revenue far outweighs the cost of demarcating the parking areas and enforcement. Paid parking was introduced to ensure a turnover of available spaces not as a means of increasing local revenue. I think families of people admitted for a prolonged hospital stay can obtain free parking [at least in Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim].
Welcome to the real world of the U.K. where this has been an issue for decades
“there is a serious lack of hospital parking” Hello, there is a serious lack of BEDS in all Israeli hospitals. This is because the Government prevents them from charging realistic prices for their services. Secondary income like this is what is keeping them from completely sinking under their debts. Instead of begrudging them the extra income, let him help they to build parking garages that would accommodate more cars and add to their income. That way everyone would benefit.
Another bad effect of Obamacare.
Brian Regan has a whole routine how places which have no need for valet parking all do but a hospital is the one place that actually needs it, doesn’t have it. It’s not a joke though why don’t they have it?