Patients and visitors pay €2 to charge their phones in hospitals

Patients and visitors in some hospital waiting areas are having to pay €2 to charge their mobile phones.

St Vincent’s Hospital and the Mater Hospital have the paid-for charging units on site.

Most of the funds generated are going to the private provider of the service, and the rest to the hospital.

But it has caused anger among some patients and their families who are already faced with extra fees such as car parking charges and the cost of snacks.

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John Dillon, from Arklow, Co Wicklow, whose terminally ill sister Kay recently spent three nights on a trolley in the A&E in St Vincent’s Hospital, said: “It is another cost for people who may be under financial pressure at a difficult time.”

A sandwich can cost up to €5 in some hospitals and the coffee machine in St Vincent’s Hospital broke down while Ms Dillon’s family were visiting her.

Aggrieved

Patients and visitors to hospitals in Dublin and across the country continue to be aggrieved at the cost of car parking charges.

It costs €7.20 to park in St Vincent’s Hospital for between two and three hours.

A spokeswoman for the Mater Hospital said that the units provide access to a variety of chargers to suit phones and devices from various manufacturers.

“Where a patient or visitor has a recharging cable there are points in public areas that can be utilised – although limited – at no charge,” she said.

A spokeswoman for St Vincent’s Hospital did not respond to questions on the charge.

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