It comes after employees unsuccessfully lobbied for a multi-storey car park as part of the facility’s $170 million redevelopment.

In an attempt to alleviate frustrations, Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) provided a service to drive staff members to their cars – which are often parked blocks away – after their shifts.

An on-call Wagga hospital staffer, who could not be identified for legal reasons, believes it is MLHD’s short-term solution to ease parking frustrations. 

“The hospital has night vans that take staff from the ward to their cars, which can often be many blocks away,” he said.

“They try to help as much as possible, but you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see there isn’t sufficient parking available.

“It wasn’t just staff, there were lots of people who pushed for a multi-storey car park as part of the re-development, but we were led to believe it simply became an issue of cost.”

As part of the hospital’s revitalisation, a new forecourt and 40 car spaces have been earmarked for the site. 

However, residents remain sceptical it will alleviate the current parking shortage. 

After suffering a broken ankle, Brendan Parkes said it was a “nightmare” to access the hospital for routine appointments.

“We would have to park a fair distance away, which was tough on the shoulders because of the crutches,” he said.

He applauded MLHD’s decision to help staff free up spaces for patients. 

“Anything that helps out people in need is a fantastic idea,” he said.

Director of Wagga Rural Referral Hospital Helen Cooper said the service – facilitated by a shuttle bus – runs every 10 minutes.

“The shuttle bus returns employees to their cars parked in the residential streets surrounding the hospital campus,” she said.

“The bus service frees up car spaces for visitors while also ensuring the safety of our employees.”