In Mohali, parking charge of car higher than OPD fee

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 15

Patients visiting the Civil Hospital in Phase VI have to pay more for parking than the consultation fee at the out-patient department (OPD).

The parking ticket for cars at the hospital parking area is Rs 20 (from 7am to 8 pm), twice the amount charged for consultation from a medical practitioner at the OPD i.e. Rs 10. For two-wheelers, the fee charged is Rs 10, which is at par with the OPD fee.

Patients and their kin visiting the hospital said that the parking fee was excessive for a government hospital. Some even said that the parking space for vehicles should be provided free of charge at the hospital.

“At hospitals in Chandigarh, the charge is Rs 2 for two-wheelers and Rs 10 for cars, respectively. They (authorities) should levy the same amount here,” said Jagbir Singh, a relative of a patient at the hospital.

“It is strange that medicines are given free at the hospital, but one has to pay for parking,” said a patient.

A ward attendant at the hospital said that to avoid paying the parking fee, people usually park vehicles outside the hospital even though there was risk of the vehicle being towed away.

“The fee of Rs 20 for car for half day is high. It should be reduced for at least the family of patients who visit on a daily-basis,” said Karan, a resident of Kharar.

Dr Surinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at the hospital, said that while the parking charges were on the higher side, the hospital authorities could not do anything.

“The parking lots are auctioned to private contractors by the higher authorities for one year. The rate is fixed in the auction” he said. He added that with the exception of an NGO some time back, people had not raised any complaints about the parking fee.