Malinga Ratwatte, a London-based GP registrar, was fined for overstaying in a hospital car park by only eight and nine minutes, respectively, after working two 12- and half-hour night shifts. He got a 'welcome back from annual leave' present in the form of the two fines after a few days out, though his hospital trust's CEO has since pledged to help get them revoked. He explained that he had been assisting the staff of a busy hospital overnight, with sick patients flooding in.
Doctor Fined For Overstaying 8 Minutes In Hospital Car Park After 12-Hour Shift
By
Haider Ali in
News
On 10th June 2022
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A Doctor in a London-based hospital was charged after leaving two different 12-and-a-half-hour night shifts for the NHS just a few minutes late.
'Just got a "welcome back after annual leave" present in the mail,' Mr. Ratwatte wrote. 2x $125 parking fines for leaving 8 and 9 minutes late following 2x 12.5 hour NHS UK night shifts, staffing the hospital overnight as sick patients arrive.'
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He said it was ‘abhorrent’ that NHS staff ‘are being exploited and treated so poorly through predatory car parking fees and fines’.
Mr. Ratwatte added: "This kind of behavior is just one of the many reasons as to why NHS staff are feeling so disillusioned, combined with poor staffing, under-resourcing, and long term pay erosion.”
‘Forcing staff to cover unfilled rota gaps is causing burnout, stress, and mental health problems.’
Image: Matthew Horwood
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The government waived parking fees at hospitals during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak.
However, they are increasingly being reinstated across all health boards.
The decision was a "severe blow," according to Dr. Mike Kemp, co-chair of the British Medical Association's (BMA) UK junior physicians committee.
Credit: Alamy
He said: ‘It is utterly deplorable that NHS staff, who have given so much to protect us during this pandemic – and during a cost-of-living crisis no less – should be penalized with expensive parking charges as they provide essential care to patients.’
‘During the pandemic, free parking for staff working at NHS trusts was well-received by doctors as a small recognition of the lengths they go to care for patients.’
He added: ‘Instead of forcing the NHS to recoup funding through hospital parking, the Government should reinstate free parking for NHS staff in England, and provide the investment required to deliver fair working conditions for all healthcare workers.’
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Following Mr. Ratwatte's fines, Doctors Vote, an organization that protects the rights of young medical staff, has also joined calls for change.
According to them, a freshly trained doctor makes only $17.5 per hour, which is almost 30% less than in 2008.
To pay one of the fines, that doctor would have to work "a full day."
A Doctors Vote spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘Financially they would be better off having not turned up for the shift.’
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‘It is common occurrences like this that cause doctors to leave this profession or emigrate to countries in which they will be treated better.’
‘This is why Doctors Vote is demanding that the BMA asks the government for full pay restoration this year, and ballots for strike action if they refuse’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to ParkingEye, the company that issued the fines to Mr. Ratwatte, for comment.
In addition, the Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted.