Park at your own risk: Jinnah hospital to start charging parking fee

Hospital administration invited tenders that will open January 19.

KARACHI: Visitors to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) will soon have to pay for parking once the contract is awarded to a private party.

The hospital administration decided to introduce the system of charged parking across the hospital premises after a similar system proved successful outside their casualty department. In October 2012, parking charges were imposed outside the emergency ward on a trial basis.

Following the success of the charges outside one department, the hospital decided to charge parking across its premises. The administration has informed both the federal and provincial authorities before inviting tenders.

In a newspaper advertisement, JPMC invited tenders from interested parties. The tender will open from January 19, next year, and the contract will be awarded on a yearly basis.

According to a hospital official, the parking fee will be charged outside different departments, apart from the charges already in place outside the casualty department.



This is the first time that parking fee will be charged at a government hospital. Jinnah hospital, which is open round-the-clock, has an average of 4,000 motorcycles and numerous cars coming in every day. After the system is in place, cars will be charged Rs20 and motorcycles will be charged Rs10.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2012.