Over €1.9 million has been collected in car park revenue at University Hospital Kerry between 2020 and 2024.
Information contained in a response to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide from the HSE shows over €600,000 was collected in parking revenue at UHK in 2024 alone.
The HSE figures show parking revenue collected at UHK increased significantly between 2020 and 2024.
Just under a quarter of a million euro was collected in parking revenue at UHK in 2020, before dropping to around €240,000 in 2021.
This rose to over €340,000 in 2022, before a significant jump again to just under half a million collected in parking revenue at UHK in 2023.
The amount collected in parking revenue at University Hospital Kerry rose again to over €600,000 in 2024, which is a 20% increase in the space of a year.
The HSE told Deputy Quaide the car park revenue collected each year forms an essential part of the annual UHK budget.
It said the management team continuously strives to improve the patient journey but the car park income is not ring-fenced for any specific purpose, because funds are apportioned to where there is the greatest need, which can vary year to year and season to season.
Deputy Quaide said increases across the country are very substantial, even allowing for the Covid dip early in the period.
He says the government needs to introduce capped charges for patients undergoing treatment, flexible passes for patients and families, and a coherent national approach to hospital car parking fees.
He said it’s difficult to judge what real patient benefit is flowing from these charges, when the income is absorbed into general budgets.
