Melbourne doctor cops cruel $99 parking fine after treating virus patients

A Melbourne doctor who worked “56 hours over four days” was slapped with a harsh parking ticket before it was cancelled by the council.

Melbourne medic Katarina Arandjelovic has been working around the clock to help Victoria’s coronavirus patients – but that wasn’t enough to save her from a hefty workplace parking fine.

The exhausted doctor works in the intensive care unit at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, and clocked off on Monday night after caring for COVID-19 patients – only to find a $99 parking ticket on her car’s windshield.

She shared a photo of the fine on Twitter this morning, calling on the City of Melbourne and Lord Mayor Sally Capp to do better.

“I worked 56 hours over four days in helping look after some of our state’s sickest patients. At 10pm last night, I left work to find a fine on my car dashboard,” Dr Arandjelovic wrote.

“We cannot work from home. We come here, and we sweat it out under our gowns, our voices muffled under masks, learning to ‘smile with our eyes’.

“We wash our hands obsessively, hoping desperately we do not become part of That Statistic. We do not see our families for weeks.

“It is not easy, but every single person in that building is working their butt off right now. It is inspiring.

“We make sacrifices and turn up – day in, day out, to serve you. So I guess @cityofmelbourne and @SallyCapp_, slapping fines on our cars is one hell of a thank you.”

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A Melbourne doctor who worked ‘56 hours over four days’ to care for some of the state’s sickest patients finished a shift to find a parking ticket on her car. Picture: Twitter/@KArandjelovic

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Dr Arandjelovic went on to explain her bike had been stolen from outside the hospital the day before Melbourne went into lockdown, and that public transport was also “off-limits” to prevent exposure to the deadly illness.

She said the council’s “free permits” were long gone and that there had been “too few to begin with”, and that many had missed out.

“In lockdown, who do you think is parking in the streets by the hospital?” she wrote.

“It is the doctors, nurses, orderlies, pharmacists, physios, technicians, cleaners, cooks, ward clerks.

“So when you send a parking inspector to Parkville, know that it is these people you are targeting.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews weighed into the saga, telling reporters on Tuesday afternoon he didn’t think the fine was “appropriate at all.”

“I don’t think that someone who’s in there literally saving lives at considerable risk to themselves should be the subject of a parking ticket,” he said.

“I’ll follow that up. In relation to parking inspectors though, as you know they work for the City of Melbourne and local government.”

Mr Andrews also added that he would review the need for parking inspectors working during lockdown.

Dr Arandjelovic’s emotional posts immediately went viral, sparking an outpouring of support for Dr Arandjelovic and other healthcare professionals working during the pandemic.

Some Aussies even offered to pay the fine on Dr Arandjelovic’s behalf, while others called on the council to dismiss the fine.

“Like many people in this thread I will pay your fine in a heartbeat – a thank you from Sydney and all of Australia,” one person wrote, while another added: “This is so frustrating, I’m sorry. There is no other safe way for healthcare workers to get to the frontline. What do they expect us to do – teleport?”

In response to Dr Arandjelovic’s, the City of Melbourne’s official Twitter account said vehicles parked in residential parking areas with red signs were “still subject to restrictions”.

“We recognise the invaluable work our health workers are doing, that’s why we’ve issued 9900 parking passes to frontline workers, including to The Royal Melbourne Hospital,” the tweet continued.

A City of Melbourne spokesman later confirmed to news.com.au that the fine had been withdrawn.

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The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s COVID-19 wards have housed some of the state’s sickest residents. Picture: David Caird

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The council also announced it would provide up to 5000 additional temporary parking permits to frontline workers responding to COVID-19 from this Friday.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the new passes meant that up to 15,000 permits will have been issued to frontline workers in total.

“Health workers are doing an amazing job at this difficult time. We understand they are playing a critical role saving the lives of many Victorians who have been diagnosed with COVID-19,” she said.

“We are printing thousands more green dashboard stickers to support frontline staff responding to the pandemic.

“If you believe you got a ticket when you shouldn’t have please get in touch with the City of Melbourne and we will follow up.

We also recognise the impact this is having on some residents, who are experiencing a higher volume of cars parking in the streets making it difficult for them to find a park.”

Australian Services Union acting secretary Billy King told news.com.au many of the organisation’s members work in local government, including as authorised parking officers, and that they had a “difficult job” keeping our roads safe.

“Their work includes ensuring access to properties for emergency services, maintaining access for utilities like gas and water, and making sure traffic can flow,” Mr King said.

“Without Authorised Officers, there’s a genuine risk of unrestricted parking that hampers traffic movement, including the delivery of essential goods.

“In many areas, including the City of Melbourne, they also manage permit zones, so residents can park their vehicles. Authorised Officers work hard at a demanding job and deserve the same respect due to every worker.”

News.com.au contacted Dr Arandjelovic for comment.