Cancer patients forced to walk 15 minutes to receive cancer treatment
Patients from the Andrew Love Cancer Centre are having to walk 15 minutes to and from their cars to receive life-saving treatment due to a lack of parking.
Geelong
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A cancer patient says she has to walk 15 minutes from her car to hospital for life-saving treatment due to a lack of nearby parking.
Vicki Mitchell has been battling breast cancer for nine months and is currently receiving treatment five days a week at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.
On Friday, the Lara grandmother said she attended the centre for radiation and parked in a permit car park, with 19 spaces, out the front of the centre.
“I went to get a permit (from reception) … I’ve parked there previously,” Ms Mitchell said.
“I was told by a lady (at reception) that I couldn’t park there and if I did I will be fined.”
Ms Mitchell said she was told her treatment “wasn’t long enough” to allow her to park in the permit zone.
“I tried telling her it was hard enough driving myself in here and then driving around trying to find a park then have to walk,” she said.
“It made me upset and it made me cry, I don’t have the energy to walk up the hill to find a park.”
Ms Mitchell said she was not given another option of where she could park while receiving her treatment.
She said she often has to park past the Geelong Gaol, on Myers St, and pays about $5 a day up to five times a week.
“It takes me a good 15 to 20 minutes (to walk to the centre),” Ms Mitchell said.
“I’m normally a pretty fit person but this radiation has knocked me around.”
The 50-year-old took to social media on Friday to share her experience, with the post attacting 200 comments from others expressing their concern and sharing similar experiences.
“As someone who has been through the same process I agree wholeheartedly! That was over 10 years ago and still no change. It is a disgrace,” one user wrote.
“Any patient at the hospital especially Andrew Love should not have to pay for parking,” another wrote.
Ms Mitchell said she has gone through similar headaches with parking when she was supporting her best friend and mother while they received treatment from the centre.
“All the nurses and oncologists have been so helpful throughout my journey but just have this one lady saying I couldn’t park there when I was at my weakest was very frustrating.”
City of Greater Geelong’s acting director of city planning and economy, Joanne Van Slageren, said the city was looking to improve health precinct parking as part of its Central Geelong Parking strategy.
“The aim is to help make parking available where and when it is needed, to those who most need it,” she said.
“It was clear through our consultation during the development of the strategy that the community wants to see parking controls in the healthcare precinct that reflect the needs of patients.”
Barwon Health spokeswoman Kate Bibby apologised to Ms Mitchell.
“Car parking within the hospital precinct is an ongoing issue and we strive to provide an accessible service to all patients,” she said.
Our permit parking at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre is prioritised for patients with a disability permit and those undergoing lengthy chemotherapy treatments and procedures.”
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Originally published as Cancer patients forced to walk 15 minutes to receive cancer treatment
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