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PARENTS CAN SPEND over €100 per day on non-medical costs associated with having a child in hospital, according to a survey released today. Some parents have to spend as much as €150 a day.
Children in Hospital Ireland found that 78% of the parents they surveyed had lost income, with an average loss of €605 per week.
In a survey of more than 300 people, they also found that parking charges were a major source of expense for families. Anna Gunning, CEO of Children in Hospital Ireland called on these charges to be scrapped.
She said “there is a shocking variance in parking fees across the country” and welcomed the recent election promises to do away with the charges.
The survey found that almost 90% of families used a car as their primary means of transport to the hospital, with the difficulty of bringing a sick child on public transport cited as the main reason for this.
Lack of change
A similar survey was conducted in 2004 and the chief executive said when they analysed the results this time, they were most shocked at the lack of change.
The costs have gone up for parents and we’re calling for the same things.
The non-profit turns 50 years old this year and Gunning said one of the first issues they encountered in the 1970s was travel costs for parents. This remained one of the top expenses, with an average family paying €48 per day.
Accommodation costs are also a big expense with some resorting to B&Bs or hotels when designated accommodation is booked out. Gunning said that a B&B can cost an average of €125 per night or if there are events in Dublin, this can rise to €300, especially near Temple Street during GAA matches.
A large number of respondents also had children at home so were paying for childcare and/or babysitters.
Financial strain
Almost one-quarter of respondents said they had borrowed money from friends or family to help meet expenses associated with their child being in hospital; 13% had taken out loans and 17% had incurred debt through overdrafts and credit cards.
Breakdown of daily average non-medical costs:
Gunning also noted that an increased lack of home ownership “is an extra vulnerability” and has put pressure on parents who had given up their job to look after their child. She added that lower mortgage payments could be negotiated but this is harder with a private landlord.
“There are loads of simple fixes that would make life easier for parents. It’s a crisis time so the last thing you need to worry about is your finances.”
Parking Pressure Investigation
Do you want to know why are patients and families still paying high rates to park at hospitals?
Through Noteworthy, we want to do an in-depth investigation into how much hospitals across charge for parking and what systems they have in place to assist patients, especially those with chronic illnesses.
We also want to look at the most expensive and the cheapest places to park and examine how the burden of parking charges could be spread more evenly.
Here’s how to help support this proposal>
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What a typical left wing rubbish half solution to the problem. Indecision and messy compromise that serves no purpose ultimately. And they want to run the country.
They are running the country, not very effectively granted, but they are in a coalition government so technically they are running the country.
Why go into coalition with them then Vincent????
What would be your full & decisive decision Vincent?
@chairman- mercifully, no. They’re really not.
@tony- spoilt for choice FG weren’t.
@shayno- if Keaveney had any honour he would have joined Shortall in exile and fought his cause from there. But no. The left prefer in-fighting.
@ Vincent, totally agree, we have a very ineffective Government
@Vincent, you gave me a politician’s answer, as in no answer to the question. Just evasion.
It’s a long time since the Labour Party adopted left wing policy’s Vincent. There’s no such thing as left wing politics in Ireland.
I’ll be voting for the ULA next time out.
Yes, Petr. Because the ULA know how to organise themselves.
Steady on their Colm. David & Goliath more like Brian McFadden & Westlife.
Fair play Colm. Representing the people from tuam. Stood by his election promises. Why so easy to be cynical. This county not used a politician with a conscious. Keep up the good work Colm.
@Anne. But he hasn’t Anne! He has kept his salary, seat and pension rights!! He has lost the whip and that’s it! A bs move, a cowardly stance and and dishonest political shimmy! His actions are not that of true Labour member, well, ok, maybe it is….
I know this person from when he was in the students union in letterkenny, he had no conscience then and that hasn’t changed
could’nt be ar**ed commenting!
and yet you have haha
Vincent should run the country. He’s vewy vewy smart!
Well spotted Petr
labour are finished and have lost any scraps of credibility outside their ego massagers.
Regardless of who is holding chair or whips they are finished.
Maybe the Journal will put up a poll asing people if they agree with me !
Out with the old & in with the new..
(Labour’s only survival)
the labour hasbeans will soon be no bean. they forgett that they are only there part time
The only problem with that is everyone from 80/100k down to minimum wage and unemployed would be hammered even worse with no restraints at all on Enda’s attack dogs…
Keep the black tie community in luxury at all costs.
Future generations are going to look back on this immoral period of our history, they are not going to be saying, King Kenny the knight in shining armour! They will be questioning how and why we let it happen.
Will you stand up and say that you are being paid too much Colm?
Labour guilty of left wing policies? That would be like accusing Labour of pursuing egalitarian, socially fair and socially progressive policies. In fairness Labour is a right of centre party, with just a few individual exceptions, who are quickly learning they are unwanted.
As a batter of balance, Labour is not quite as right wing as Fine Gael. FGs days of social justice are well and truly gone and “moderates” such as Vincent Dolan are trying to keep up with the accelerating move to the right.
have your say