I hope Mr. Kirsebom’s letter of Aug. 30 to the mayor regarding the outrageous parking fees charged at the new Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Clinic bears more fruit than my efforts.
A cost of $4.50 an hour may not sound too outrageous at first, but how many patients can say they have ever seen a doctor in the Jim Pattison clinic and returned to their car within one hour? To be on the safe side one had better pay for two hours, thus the cost is actually more than the initial outlay, which by the way, cannot contain new coins. That was pointed out but nothing has been done to date.
Mr. Kirsebom also mentions that the city stopped patients parking along Fraser Highway for free; this is an interesting turn of events because the contractors parked there for over two years with no problem while the clinic was under construction – the city thought that was okay for construction workers, but this freebee must not be extended to patients, many of whom are pensioners and can ill afford these scandalous prices.
Yesterday is a good case in point. I had an appointment with my doctor at the clinic at 11:15 a.m. I had another appointment at 12 p.m. I saw my first doctor at 12 p.m. after having sat at the clinic for one hour. I had pulled into a parking space at 11 a.m. after noting we can no longer park along Fraser Highway. I try to be on time for appointments, and my doctor does as well, but it was a very hectic day, and so I told him he had one minute with me as my meter was on the verge of declaring me a delinquent. He took my blood pressure, which was through the roof because of the stress of waiting for one hour to see him.
For patients who have to endure running outside in a hospital gown to renew the meter, I would salute you, but then I would have to let go of the gown which doesn’t cover much at all.
As for Fraser Health, and the mayor of Surrey, please try to find another vulnerable, ill, elderly group to persecute.
Pat Savage
