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Teen starts petition to end Sydney hospital parking pain

A Sydney teenager whose parents fork out thousands of dollars every year to park while he receives treatment, has called on the State Government to cut parking fees at hospitals.

Gidon Goodman suffers from a rare blood condition and requires hospital treatment every fortnight.

“I’ve been a patient in hospital every two weeks since I was three years old,” he said.

Gidon Goodman. Source: 7News
Gidon Goodman. Source: 7News
Royal North Shore Hospital. Source: 7News
Royal North Shore Hospital. Source: 7News

Now aged 13, Gidon says it is time to regulate just how much patients are forced to pay.

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80,000 people support Perth mum's bid to end paid parking at hospitals

A Seven News study found Sydney Eye Hospital is the most expensive for parking in the city, at $64 for more than three hours. St Vincent’s costs $50 while Royal North Shore is $33 for the same time period.

Those parking at Westmead Hospital pay $15, while parking is free at Campbelltown Hospital.

Gidon’s petition to bring the parking cost down for patients has already been signed by more than 20,000 people.

Gidon Goodman. Source: 7News
Gidon Goodman. Source: 7News
Parking fees at a Sydney hospital. Source: 7News
Parking fees at a Sydney hospital. Source: 7News

It comes just a week after a Perth mother met with WA officials in a bid to stop regular hospital-goers being hit with extraordinary parking fees.

Monique Garcia, whose son was born with half a heart, launched her petition to scrap the fee for frequent visitors to public hospitals. It already has almost 80,000 signatures.

“Long-term debilitating illness, where (the patient) needs regular visits to hospital, $56 a visit adds up,” Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord said.

But the Medical Association has blamed the Federal Government for the parking fees, claiming hospitals don’t have enough money to function if it scrapped paid parking.

The Sydney teen will meet with his local MP this week to discuss his petition.

Click here to sign Gidon's petition