The mayors of 27 municipalities in northeast Toulouse wind up against the paid parking lot of the Union clinic
“A citizen told us that she had to pay 170 euros over three months to go see her hospitalized husband, while she earns 920 euros per month”. Marc Péré, the mayor (DVG) of L’Union, and 26 other city councilors in northeastern Toulouse have come up against the payment of the parking lot of the
Union clinic last January. At the start of the year, they launched a
petition which had gathered more than 17,000 signatures.
This Saturday, at 3 p.m., elected officials from all political stripes decided to launch a collective call for citizen mobilization to demand the return of free education for all and try to change the management of this establishment of the Ramsay group, which they have requested several times by mail to see their request succeed.
Low income people
To reduce the bill, and respond to requests, the healthcare establishment had set up free access for the first half hour, billing exemptions or reductions in certain cases, especially for people with disabilities or following chronic care such as the value. A fixed price of 9 euros per month is proposed for those coming regularly.
“Thus, more than 35% of users benefit from total free parking, ie one in three visitors. The average ticket is 2.20 euros, which is much lower than municipal paid parking and similar to the prices charged by other public and private hospitals in the Toulouse area, ”insists the Ramsay group, which recorded 600,000 euros in revenue this year. this year which “will participate in the maintenance investments, maintenance of the installations and securing of the accesses”.
“Not everyone is aware of this and what saddens us is that nothing is being done for people with low incomes, in retirement. At that age, we need the services of the clinic, but with paid parking, they have the question of coming less often or staying for a shorter period, ”insists Bruno Espic, the mayor of Saint-Jean, the municipality. on which the clinic is installed.
Lawsuits from the clinic in the event of overflows
To justify the establishment of this paid parking, the management of the Ramsay group, owner of the establishment, had indicated that they also wanted to put an end to the system of suction cups. “A false problem, because there is no metro nearby and buses run every half hour. They did the same thing in other clinics, there is above all a financial aspect, ”says Marc Péré.
A criticism defended by the clinic of L’Union and the Ramsay Santé group “which has not paid dividends to its shareholders since 2014”. Faced with citizen mobilization, the care establishment and its parent company have expressed “their deep concern”, in particular with regard to the number of visitors and the safety of its site, in particular emergencies on weekends. “This price in secure charge cannot be guaranteed in view of the explicit invitation to” popular overflow “. As a result, the clinic appeals to the responsibility of elected officials and will initiate proceedings in the event of material damage occurring during this gathering or in the event of limited access to care due to any impediment ”, concludes the Ramsay group. in a press release.