PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The authorities need to take some action on the issue of patients and visitors parking their cars outside the hospital grounds, the parking contractor at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay district hospital said. Parking has consistently been a challenge at the district hospital. Previously, this concern was primarily raised by patients and their relatives due to limited parking space; however, the contractor responsible for hospital parking has expressed worries regarding patients parking outside, which affects their revenue. In response, patients have claimed that they choose to park outside to avoid the hospital’s parking charge.
A patient, Veena, said that she frequently visits the hospital with her son for regular check-ups. She said that she and her son often opt to park their vehicle outside, as they find the parking fees for one or two hours inside the hospital expensive. Additionally, another attendee, Ravi (name changed), said that he visited the hospital with his wife for a check-up. He expressed his preference to park his vehicle outside the hospital, as he was unable to find a way to avoid paying the parking fee at the hospital premises. He stated that parking fees should not be charged at the government hospital.
Further, parking contractor Ishu expressed his observations regarding the hospital’s parking issue. He said that a fee of Rs 20 is charged by him for two-wheeler parking on the hospital premises. Ishu has grown weary of witnessing patients and their visitors parking their vehicles outside the hospital to avoid paying the parking fee. This trend not only impacts the hospital’s revenue but also leads to increased traffic congestion and disorder in the vicinity. He said that recently a resident near the hospital had entered into an argument with a patient who parks their vehicle outside her home. He said that he has presented this issue to the hospital administration, but no solutions have been implemented. He called upon the relevant authorities to take action and designate personnel who can enforce parking regulations, as this situation is financially detrimental to him and contributes to traffic problems outside hospital premises.
