A paid parking system has been introduced at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai for visitors and patients and will become fully operational on October 15.
Private company Parkonic is managing the new smart system, which requires patients to validate their vehicles before leaving the hospital.
Parking rules will vary depending on the type of visit. Outpatients will receive up to four hours of free parking, while patients visiting the emergency department will get up to six hours of free parking. Patients admitted to the hospital can park free of charge for the duration of their stay.
Parkonic will charge Dh10 per hour for any additional parking time, while visitors and vehicles without the required validation will be charged Dh50 per hour, according to information published by Al Zahra Hospital. The charges will be automatically deducted from the Salik account linked to the vehicle.
From October 15, patients must validate their parking before leaving the hospital. For outpatient appointments, patients will receive a text message with a validation link after checking in. The link will be valid for up to four hours.
The introduction of the system at Al Zahra Hospital comes as smart and paid parking management expands across Dubai's healthcare sector.
Parkin and Dubai Health introduced paid parking at Rashid Hospital on September 21.
At Rashid Hospital, patients continue to receive free parking for the duration of their visit, including those attending emergency care, consultations, laboratory appointments, walk-in services and continuing treatment.
Visitors can receive up to three hours of free parking per day after providing the relevant patient details at hospital reception. Two people accompanying patients admitted to the hospital can receive free parking for up to 24 hours, with extensions available where required.
People of Determination, senior citizens and pregnant women will continue to receive free valet parking at Dubai Health facilities after eligibility is verified. A 30-minute daily grace period is also available for pickups and drop-offs, while standard parking charges apply to motorists who are not visiting Dubai Health facilities.
Authorities said that the smart parking system is intended to reduce congestion, improve the use of available parking spaces and make arrival at healthcare facilities more convenient.
