Hospital car park fees reduced

The contentious parking fees at Mater Dei Hospital have been slashed, following more than a few complaints by patients and relatives who ended up paying a pretty penny when using the hospital's car park.

Those leaving their vehicle in the hospital's multi-storey car park were ending up paying Lm3 (€6.99) if they stayed for more than four hours.

Although the paying structure was the same as the recently-introduced one at St Luke's Hospital, the problem was exacerbated at Mater Dei because parking outside the hospital was no mean feat.

However, the Foundation for Medical Services said yesterday the Malta Transport Authority would be organising better about 120-odd parking spaces on the roads adjacent to the hospital. Works on delineating these parking spaces are expected to be carried out over the coming days.

Inside the hospital's car park, the maximum fee has been almost halved from Lm3 to Lm1.75 (€4.08) for over four hours. The new fee structure is similar to the one for the Controlled Vehicular Access for Valletta and motorists will only have to pay 35c (E0.82) when they park between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Just a week after the hospital received its first inpatients, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi ordered the parking fee structure at the new hospital to be reviewed.

During a Cabinet meeting, he instructed Health Minister Louis Deguara and Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech to come up with proposals and solutions aimed at improving the efficacy of the traffic flow at the new hospital and to devise a more decent parking fee structure.

Talks between the foundation and the company responsible for traffic and parking management at the hospital also led to an agreement whereby the company will manage an additional 350-space parking area designated for Mater Dei Hospital staff and subcontractors. The staff and subcontractors will be charged special discounted rates of 32c (€0.75) daily or a daily rate of 21c (€0.50) if prepaid monthly.

Frequent car park users will be able to buy three or 30-day block passes for preferential rates and a board will be reviewing applications for free parking passes for renal patients, blue sticker holders and a number of others, including parents of patients recovered in paediatric oncology wards.

The automatic payment machines have been reprogrammed to charge on the basis of the new structure.

Former price structure
First 20 minutes - free
21 minutes to 30 minutes - 30c (€0.70)
31 minutes to one hour - 60c (€1.40)
Up to 1.5 hours - Lm1 (€2.33)
Up to two hours - 1.25 (€2.91)
Up to 2.5 hours - Lm1.75 (€4.08)
Up to three hours - Lm2 (€4.66)
Up to four hours - Lm2.50 (€5.82)
Four hours onwards - Lm3 (€6.99)

New price structure
First 30 minutes - free
31 minutes to one hour - 35c (€0.82)
Up to two hours - 70c (€1.63)
Up to three hours - Lm1.05 (€2.45)
Up to four hours - Lm1.40 (€3.26)
From four hours onwards - Lm1.75 (€4.08)
Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. - 35c (€0.82)