Hospital patients are being charged an unbelievable fee for this one thing...
- Replies 22
For anyone who has been admitted to the hospital for an extended period of time, a TV can be a welcome distraction. It allows you to tune out from your current surroundings and drown out the hospital noises.
While many hospitals provide their patients with free access to their television services, some have, in recent years, started charging a fee for the very same benefit.
What does watching TV during a hospital stay cost these days? A lot, apparently.
Recently, a Sydney hospital’s fees for free-to-air television were slammed by furious social media users. This left many scratching their heads as to why there were even charges for accessing a usually free service.
Taking to the popular social media forum Reddit, the poster vented his frustration and said that the fees were ‘criminal’.
‘The cost of Free to Air TV in Australian hospitals is criminal. My father is recovering from bowel cancer in RPA Sydney. This is the cost increase of "Free to air" TV over the Christmas of 2022 during his stay there,’ they shared.
According to reports, Sydney’s Royal Prince Albert Hospital increased their rates for one-day access from $10 to $13.90 for patients. While patients with concession cards saw rates increase from $9 to $12.80.
A one-week package went from $54 to $90.30 for standard patients, while concession-card holders saw an increase from $47 to $83.30.
‘Minimum wage workers cannot afford even basic TV for family members in care,’ the original poster added.
The post earned more than 1,200 upvotes on Reddit, with many commenting that they were horrified about the idea of incurring charges for something that was expected to be free.
‘Wait, why does it cost anything?’ Someone asked.
‘Nothing is free, but that is why we pay our taxes. No one should be out of pocket for any extra expense. This makes me incredibly angry,’ another said.
‘In my experience, the prime function of local public hospitals is to get as much income as they can from visitors and patients. So, they are leasing out the provision of as many services as possible. Providing TVs is just one of them,’ one explained.
As a disclaimer, the original poster explained that they were aware of the costs associated with a hospital stay.
‘Nothing is free in this life but I don’t like being extorted, and for free-to-air TV no less,’ they said before claiming that they just wanted their father to have some ‘semblance of normality’ while recovering.
‘But I can’t even afford that for him anymore.’
The original poster’s experience is not isolated as many complaints have been made about the issue across various public hospitals in the past.
Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital has been accused of ‘ripping off patients’ after it was reported that they were charging patients for access to free-to-air TV. According to reports, the main free-to-air channels were complimentary. However, a package with the rest, including the popular ABC Kids channel, would cost $12.50 per day.
Although not all public hospitals charge for access to free-to-air channels, the provisions of televisions in these medical institutions vary depending on the facility, according to some reports.
The reports further state that hospitals that haven’t outsourced their entertainment packages will offer free-to-air TV at no cost. For those who have, on the other hand, in-hospital entertainment will come at a higher cost.
Public hospitals are autonomous from state governments in New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland, which means it is up to the individual institution to provide its own entertainment service. It is believed that each medical facility enters a contract with an outsourced company – called a patient entertainment service (PES) provider.
The PES provider supplies and installs the services for free but collects revenues generated from the TV service to recover costs. This typically includes a provision for the hospital to collect a percentage of the revenue based on how much the infrastructure is used.
A spokesperson for Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) hospitals, including the Royal Prince Albert Hospital, said that medical facilities in this area offer patients access to paid TV services. This includes free-to-air coverage and several other channels.
The spokesperson also explained that a fee for this service was charged to patients to ‘cover the costs of renting the TV sets,’ which hospitals do not own.
However, there is a caveat: ‘If a patient is experiencing financial hardship, they can request access to the service through staff at a cost to the hospital.’ The spokesperson further claimed that this can also apply to patients who are experiencing behavioural problems as ‘a method of managing that behaviour’.
Members, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Have you experienced similar charges while in the hospital, or know someone who has? Let us know in the comments below!
While many hospitals provide their patients with free access to their television services, some have, in recent years, started charging a fee for the very same benefit.
What does watching TV during a hospital stay cost these days? A lot, apparently.
Recently, a Sydney hospital’s fees for free-to-air television were slammed by furious social media users. This left many scratching their heads as to why there were even charges for accessing a usually free service.
Taking to the popular social media forum Reddit, the poster vented his frustration and said that the fees were ‘criminal’.
The rates at Royal Prince Albert Hospital before the increase. Credit: Reddit
‘The cost of Free to Air TV in Australian hospitals is criminal. My father is recovering from bowel cancer in RPA Sydney. This is the cost increase of "Free to air" TV over the Christmas of 2022 during his stay there,’ they shared.
According to reports, Sydney’s Royal Prince Albert Hospital increased their rates for one-day access from $10 to $13.90 for patients. While patients with concession cards saw rates increase from $9 to $12.80.
A one-week package went from $54 to $90.30 for standard patients, while concession-card holders saw an increase from $47 to $83.30.
‘Minimum wage workers cannot afford even basic TV for family members in care,’ the original poster added.
The poster shared this photo of the standard room’s price increase. Credit: Reddit
The post earned more than 1,200 upvotes on Reddit, with many commenting that they were horrified about the idea of incurring charges for something that was expected to be free.
‘Wait, why does it cost anything?’ Someone asked.
‘Nothing is free, but that is why we pay our taxes. No one should be out of pocket for any extra expense. This makes me incredibly angry,’ another said.
‘In my experience, the prime function of local public hospitals is to get as much income as they can from visitors and patients. So, they are leasing out the provision of as many services as possible. Providing TVs is just one of them,’ one explained.
As a disclaimer, the original poster explained that they were aware of the costs associated with a hospital stay.
‘Nothing is free in this life but I don’t like being extorted, and for free-to-air TV no less,’ they said before claiming that they just wanted their father to have some ‘semblance of normality’ while recovering.
‘But I can’t even afford that for him anymore.’
The photo of the concession package at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Credit: Reddit
The original poster’s experience is not isolated as many complaints have been made about the issue across various public hospitals in the past.
Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital has been accused of ‘ripping off patients’ after it was reported that they were charging patients for access to free-to-air TV. According to reports, the main free-to-air channels were complimentary. However, a package with the rest, including the popular ABC Kids channel, would cost $12.50 per day.
Although not all public hospitals charge for access to free-to-air channels, the provisions of televisions in these medical institutions vary depending on the facility, according to some reports.
The reports further state that hospitals that haven’t outsourced their entertainment packages will offer free-to-air TV at no cost. For those who have, on the other hand, in-hospital entertainment will come at a higher cost.
Public hospitals are autonomous from state governments in New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland, which means it is up to the individual institution to provide its own entertainment service. It is believed that each medical facility enters a contract with an outsourced company – called a patient entertainment service (PES) provider.
The PES provider supplies and installs the services for free but collects revenues generated from the TV service to recover costs. This typically includes a provision for the hospital to collect a percentage of the revenue based on how much the infrastructure is used.
A spokesperson for Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) hospitals, including the Royal Prince Albert Hospital, said that medical facilities in this area offer patients access to paid TV services. This includes free-to-air coverage and several other channels.
The spokesperson also explained that a fee for this service was charged to patients to ‘cover the costs of renting the TV sets,’ which hospitals do not own.
However, there is a caveat: ‘If a patient is experiencing financial hardship, they can request access to the service through staff at a cost to the hospital.’ The spokesperson further claimed that this can also apply to patients who are experiencing behavioural problems as ‘a method of managing that behaviour’.
.png){kind=icon}
