Thanks for saving people’s lives today at the RAH — that will be $24 for your parking

A lack of staff car parks at the RAH is costing doctors and nurses hundreds of dollars a month and delays in their work. As they await their permits, the price is about to go even higher.

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Hundreds of nurses and doctors are paying $24 every day to park at the Royal Adelaide Hospital because staff spaces have run out, despite the precinct’s monster $2.44 billion building budget.

An Advertiser investigation has revealed 337 workers are still waiting for staff parking, and despite some being on low wages, they are paying $500 every month for parking.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation secretary Professor Elizabeth Dabars said SA Health had been warned about the problem during construction.

She said the issue was not just causing financial strain for some workers – the lowest paid losing one hour’s wages each day to the system – but long delays in getting to work.

A nurse on a waiting list for almost a year said she not only had to pay $24 but also had to “drive around for up to 30 minutes” in the hospital’s overcrowded public car park while she waited for a space to became available.

“This is significant money for some workers, and we made this point during the planning and development phase so there was an opportunity to avoid this,’’ Professor Dabars said.

“We are also very disappointed in the reported 20 per cent increase in public parking (fees) in the Budget which will make things significantly more expensive for visitors and those staff who are waiting for their permits.”

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Secretary Professor Elizabeth Dabars at the RAH. Picture: Dylan Coker

City hospitals earn around $20 million from parking fees each year. Central Adelaide Local Health Network director Elke Kropf said 3778 of the 6500 RAH SA Health staff had permits, with 337 who wanted them not yet issued.

She said the maximum staff carparking day rate at metropolitan public hospitals was around $10 per week.

Priority for staff parking was given to workers on permanent night duty or permanent rotating shifts which could include nights, people on an on-call roster and those with a disability which makes using public transport difficult.

“The new RAH has far better access to public transport compared to the previous hospital,’’ Ms Kropf said.

“The city’s extensive tram and rail networks are much closer to the new hospital, and both staff and patients can also benefit from the new tram network extension. Bicycle bays are also available.’’

Professor Dabars said the hospital planners may have falsely believed there was more parking available in the northwest corner of the city, but it was already at a premium because of the spaces needed by UniSA staff and students.