By Adesiji-Adelekan Ademilayo Eunice
It was a surprise to Lagosians when they discovered that Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) introduced paid parking on Saturday, 1st day of May 2021. There have been so many rumours and speculations as to why this was done, whether to profit the government or the hospital at the detriment of patients, students and workers that operate in the LASUTH premises.
In view of all these speculations, Lagos State University's Campus Journalists (ACJ-LASU) conducted an online interview with the Lagos State University Medical Students Association's (LASUMSA) president popularly known as OLOYE G. In an interview with him, ACJ-LASU's correspondent Adesiji-Adelekan Ademilayo Eunice asked how the current paid parking affected or affects students of the college of medicine and what he or the management has done to ease the effects on students.
OLOYE G stated that he had some discussions with the hospital's authorities on how this would affect students who owned vehicles on campus and students who commute themselves into the school premises using ride hailing services such as Uber. According to him, some students and their Uber drivers were charged parking fees, although the Uber spent no ample time within the school environment.
However he stated that the management has resolved it by saying students who have vehicles should come for their vehicle pass.
ACJ-LASU correspondents Adesiji-Adelekan Ademilayo Eunice and Ọlálékan Haleemah went further by visiting the office of the Director Clinical Services and Training LASUTH, Dr. Adebowale .O. Adekoya, to further probe him on the reasons for the hospital's decisions and if at all they had the best interest of their patients, workers including Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) workers and students at heart while making this decision.
Dr. Adebowale .O. Adekoya stated that LASUTH has been in existence since the 50's and because of development, it is now close to a huge population of people who come to transact business in computer village, go to the airport and even travel out of the country and this people find it convenient to park in LASUTH.
Dr. Adekoya also stated that LASUTH has over 2000 workers and there are 700 car capacity parking spaces available, which fills up very fast. Apart from workers in LASUTH, there is a huge number of workers in LASUCOM as well as students, which means that as the original occupants, the parking spaces are not sufficient and in addition to this, there are patients who come with cars and have nowhere to park.
According to Dr. Adekoya, " This is the busiest tertiary institution in the country, not in the state but the whole nation. We have on average a thousand people coming in and out of here seeking one service or the other. So if all these is put on a scale and we continue to allow people to come in, park their cars and go out of the premises to transact their business, we would continue to inconvenient the patients people are so concerned about and also ourselves who are here purely for the business of making sure patients receive proper care.
He also added that, "Over the last two years, looking at the chaos due to parking, all the stakeholders came together to brainstorm on the way forward. This led to the creation of a committee headed by Dr.Olayinka and other eminent doctors and nurses.
Recommendation was made to the government after the finding of the committee that we need to start paid parking. It was a bit difficult finding companies to take up pay parking, as it was not business wise for them to invest in a compound with 700 parking space and almost 4000 people in the compound already. But a reputable company called BALOSH which operates several places including a nearby shopping mall named JARA, got a long term lease so they can at least over the next ten years recoup their investments.
Dr. Adekoya however noted that eorkers and students do not pay parking fees.
"The primary reason for the paid parking in LASUTH is to regulate parking, not for the sole purpose of making money. The money does not get to the government or the hospital. The aim is to create an enabling environment for the hospital and educational service provided here". He added.
He also stated that, "We are here to provide clinical services, conduct training for under graduates and post graduates, and also perform our research. We need a conducive environment to do that".
Speaking on tolling emergency patients and students, Dr. Adekoya clarified that, "when emergency patients come, you don't pay anything the bar goes up immediately". "Students with valid vehicle papers, whose cars are always in the school's compound get a pass. Uber rides into school or the hospital premises is also free. In cases of some specific or special scenarios, they would be treated on their own merit."
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