Parking discount incentive joy for seniors, sickle cell patients at SMC

TDT | Manama

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Paid parking at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) is here to stay, but plans are in place to introduce free spaces for staff, blood donors, and some medical cases, along with discounts for seniors, people with disabilities, and those with sickle cell disease.

In a written response to Parliament, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, His Excellency Ghanim Al Buainain, said the government had looked at the urgent proposal calling for free parking for Bahraini patients at Salmaniya and other hospitals and health centres.

While agreeing with its aims, he made it clear that charging a small fee had kept parking from being clogged up by those who did not need it, ensuring spaces remained open for actual patients.

“The government always works to make healthcare easier to reach while improving services to meet the public’s needs,” he said. “The current paid parking system at Salmaniya has helped keep spots available for those who really require them.”

Daily operations

To keep things running, authorities have brought in Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company (Edamah) to handle upkeep, upgrades, and daily operations at the parking facilities.

This, Al Buainain said, fits within a wider push to improve health services while keeping them competitive both locally and abroad.

As part of the next deal to run the car parks, the government will set aside free spaces for hospital workers, blood donors, and certain patients.

There will also be discounts for older people, those with disabilities, and people with sickle cell disease.