Cheaper to watch TV at Silverwater jail than at Westmead Hospital as patients cough up for entertainment fees
IT IS cheaper to watch TV at Silverwater jail than if you were a patient at Westmead Hospital.
Parramatta
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IT IS cheaper to watch TV at Silverwater jail than if you were a patient at Westmead Hospital.
Patients at the western Sydney public hospital must pay high fees to watch free-to-air television channels and movie content.
Westmead Hospital general manager Andrew Newton said an external contractor provided television, movies and radio to patients for a pay on demand service.
Mr Newton said fees for entertainment services ranged from $11 a day to $105 a month, depending on the plan selected by the patient.
But inmates on remand at the Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre at Silverwater are provided with television in their cells for free.
A NSW Corrective Services spokeswoman said inmates at other correctional centres could buy televisions using the prisoner buy-up scheme for $295, which also allowed them to purchase food and other items.
“Television works as a management tool for inmates as it encourages good behaviour and can be confiscated temporarily due to bad behaviour,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr Newton said patients who were Age or Disability Pensioner Concession Card holders could be eligible for a discount rate, depending on the concession type.
“Patients who elect to be admitted as private patients benefit from free TV access during their stay at Westmead Hospital, depending on their level of health insurance cover,” he said.
And patients can forget about Wi-Fi for now.
Mr Newton said there were plans to facilitate guest Wi-Fi access as part of the future development of the Westmead precinct.
He said the hospital had not received any complaints. A Health Department spokesman said there was no statewide policy on TV and entertainment access. The spokesman said local health districts set their own policies.
It is not uncommon for hospitals to charge patients television fees.
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