A recent poll has revealed that about 8 in 10 people believe that hospitals car parking charges should be lifted off patients with long term health problems and those who need to visit a hospital more frequently.

A survey from the Macmillan Cancer Support has revealed that nearly a year after Scotland put a ban on such charges; the Government in England is looking to follow in the same footsteps. In Wales and Northern Ireland as well, the charges have been abolished.

According to Health Secretary Andy Burnham, people who need an inpatient stay should not be charged for parking, but Macmillan believes that the effort should be taken further.

About 15 years back, cancer patients would have required a hospital stay, but thanks to the modern treatment methods available, they can be treated as an outpatient case, but this does not mean that they would not require very frequent visitations, and then they would be charged every time.

"It is morally wrong that cancer patients in England are still being forced to fork out parking charges just so they can get to their life-saving treatment. It's time this tax on illness ended for patients in England as well. The governments of each other British nation have seen sense and brought in free hospital parking, now we are calling on the Westminster Government to do the same. Hospitals save money by treating cancer patients as out-patients, so there is no possible reason to then charge them when they get to hospital", said Macmillan Chief Executive Ciaran Devane.