MOST people who go to hospitals do so purely for fun, it has been claimed.
Defending hospital parking charges, Tory MP Denys Finch-Hatton said: “Hospitals have great retail outlets, like a newsagent and a Costa, which attract families to go there just for a day out.
“They check out the abstract art in the reception foyer, watch some News 24 on a big telly with the sound turned down and sometimes just put a gown on and lie on a bed.
“Only a tiny fraction of the people at a hospital actually have anything wrong with them, which is why it’s fair enough that visitors should pay to park, the same as if they went to the cinema.
“Actually I think parking is usually free at the cinema but you get the idea.”
Plumber Bill McKay said: “The main reason I go to the hospital is because my wife is ill. If that wasn’t the case I very much doubt I would bother.
“Although the staff are perfectly helpful, I would not describe the hospital as having a ‘cool vibe’.”
