Despite a petition of over 3,000 signatures and a national campaign last December, no hospital in Ireland has changed its parking pricing policy for cancer patients.

The Irish Cancer Society is now calling for free or subsidised parking for all cancer patients receiving treatment. In December, a report by the Irish Cancer Society revealed that cancer patients were regularly paying up to €63 a week in car parking charges. The Irish Cancer Society's 'Park the Charges' report previously highlighted the financial burden of car parking on patients and their families. One cancer patient told the Irish Cancer Society that his family had spent €1,200 on car parking while he was in hospital. Donal Buggy, the charity's head of services and advocacy, commented:

"Car parking charges represent a huge cost for many cancer patients, at a time of not just physical and psychological stress, but financial pressure. People undergoing treatment are facing real hardship in having to deal with additional costs and large drops in income, and high car parking charges only add to this. We proposed a set of guidelines for hospitals to the HSE, that, if put in place, would make a big difference to cancer patients. Some hospitals already give cancer patients car parking passes so we know it's possible. We want it rolled out across all hospitals treating cancer patients."

Mr. Buggy also commented that those receiving treatment close to urban centres are facing the highest parking costs:

"This is a problem for cancer patients as many have to visit the eight designated cancer centres for individual cancer types in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway and Limerick. The average cost of parking at designated cancer hospitals is €8 for a four hour stay."

There were significant variations in cost by region, with Dublin hospitals proving the most expensive. On average a four hour stay in a Dublin hospital cost €8.86. Hospitals in Munster had the second highest costs for a four hour stay at €6.70, while costs were lower in Connaught/Ulster at €4.67 and in Leinster (excluding Dublin) at €5.20, respectively. The Irish Cancer Society would like guidelines on the issue similar to those already in place in the UK. According to figures provided by the Society, at the 26 public hospitals that offer cancer treatment, the revenue raised by car parking in 2015 totalled almost €16 million, with two hospitals taking in in excess of €1 million, and another two hospitals taking in €1.5million and €2.9million respectively. Donal Buggy Commented:

"While we acknowledge that car parking is a key source of revenue for many hospitals, the excessive rates charged at some facilities place an unnecessary strain on cancer patients and their families."

A four-hour stay in Tallaght Hospital costs patients €10. This is more than twice what shoppers will pay in the Square Shopping Centre, two minutes’ drive away, and rivals some of the most expensive car parks in Dublin’s city centre. To spend a day in the Mater Hospital costs just a euro less than it does to spend it in Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, one of the priciest spots to park in the city. Gerry Carroll, a 56-year-old Acute Myeloid Leukaemia survivor from Dublin, spoke of the huge cost of car parking when he underwent treatment:

"I stayed in hospital for 115 days, as I was vulnerable to infection during my treatment. During that time, my wife came to visit me five days a week. It cost her almost €1,200 in parking charges alone in that time. That’s a lot of money. If she was able to get free parking, or even a reduced rate it would’ve been a great help to us."

The hospitals aren't listening Earlier this month, the Irish Cancer Society contacted every hospital that provides cancer treatment in Ireland and sadly found no difference between the 2016 and 2017 rates.

Instead, during 2016, while cancer patients were struggling to pay crippling parking costs, the revenue raised from parking at all but four cancer hospitals increased. Last year, hospitals that offer cancer treatment raised almost €18.75 million in car parking fees, up over €4million on 2015.

Mr. Buggy says the hospitals just aren’t listening,

"We want politicians and the HSE to acknowledge the financial impact of hospital parking on families and we need to see real action to address it."

Individual hospitals have the authority to abolish charges for cancer patients and a number of hospitals around the country including Mayo General, Portiuncula, Wexford General and St. Luke’s Rathgar, have arrangements in place that mean cancer patients go free.

While the Society is asking individual hospitals to get rid of parking charges for cancer patients going through treatment, they have emphasised the need for a national policy on car parking that treats patients with care and compassion.  Currently, no uniform national policy on car parking exists. Mr. Buggy commented,

"There is no national policy on car parking aside from agreement from hospitals on maximum daily fixed parking charge.  This makes no difference to patients forking out €15, €20 or even €40 for a day long stay.  The HSE now need to step up and put in place policy that supports cancer patients and their families at a time when they’re faced with a multitude of other charges."

The Irish Cancer Society currently runs a volunteer driver service that provides transport for cancer patients to and from their hospital chemotherapy treatments, which currently operates at 21 different hospitals nationwide. They say that this vital and unique service helps provide a lifeline to those without access to transport, who have to travel long distances to appointments and to those who simply cannot afford the cost of travel and car parking costs. In 2016 alone, the volunteer service provided 21,350 drives to 1,163 chemotherapy patients, covering over 1,000,000 kilometres: The charity has now written to all city and county councillors asking them to put down motions at their next Council meeting calling on their local hospital to introduce free parking for cancer patients. You can sign the 'Park the Charges' petition here. Do you think all hospital parking should be free? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.