Nine HSE hospitals received over €200,000 euro each in car parking income last year – including UHW.
According to freedom of information figures, €469,000 was taken in at University Hospital Waterford.
Nearly €1.3 million was collected in Cork University Hospital – the highest in the country.
While total car parking income across all HSE hospitals in 2020 was over €5.2 million.
Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson, Waterford’s David Cullinane, is calling for these fees to be scrapped.
“Many campaign groups including the Irish Cancer Society and many more have also for a number of years have sought for these charges to be abolished and for car parking at public hospitals to be free.
That’s what I want to see happening, and I think the only way to make that happen is to give a subvention to hospitals for the car parking to make up the shortfall,” Deputy Cullinane said.