I REFER to the letter by H. Thomas regarding his/her 'disgust at the extortionate parking fees which the sick, injured and infirm are charged while receiving treatment' at our hospital.
Our experience showed that most users of our visitors' car-park are visitors of the sick, injured or infirm rather than patients themselves, and their duration of parking rarely exceeds two hours.
The progressive scale of parking fees (first hour: $20, second hour: $30, third hour: $50) which was displayed clearly for all users, was designed to discourage inconsiderate car owners who might use the car-park for other purposes, as our hospital is situated close to the entertainment and office area of Nathan Road, and the number of parking spaces is limited. The hospital is also well served by public transport such as the MTR, buses, mini-buses and taxis. The $20 per hour or $50 per two hours parking fees are comparable to most commercial car-parks nearby. Our car-park has been in operation since April, and the fees and arrangements have been well accepted by our users, especially when we have extended our visiting hours to 4 to 8pm, thus making more parking spaces available for users after office hours.
As a public hospital and non-profit-making institution, our charges including income from the car-park, are monitored by the Hospital Governing Committee. The car-park income is being used to subsidise facility improvements and the Patient Resource Centre, a service which promotes self-help for the chronically ill (rental failure patients, children with congenital blood disorders, the severely burned and disfigured, the brain-injured and diabetics) who cannot lead a normal life without help and support. Mrs/Ms H. Thomas is welcome to visit this centre which is situated close to the car-park. Please be assured that our car-park service policy was determined according to the principle of maximum accessibility for the public, rather than profit, and whatever income derived is helping the truly needy and unfortunate.
Dr YORK CHOW Hospital Chief Executive Queen Elizabeth Hospital