Galway Bay fm newsroom - University Hospital Galway collected 1.3 million euro in parking charges in 2017.
Vehicles parked at the hospital are charged €2 per hour with a maximum cost of €9 per day.
According to the Irish Independent, parking arrangements are made locally at hospitals, with many hospitals, including UHG, outsourcing car park operations to private companies.
The HSE says hospital car parking fees are designed to ensure the cost of maintaining the facilities does not come out of a hospital's operating budget.
Nationally, Our Lady's Hospital Drogheda charges the most for onsite parking at a max of €40 per day, while Cork University Hospital, Tallaght Hospital and St. James Hospital, Dublin come second with a maximum charge of €15 per day.
Independent TD and Doctor Michael Harty says at the very least, the car parks shouldn't be making a profit.
