The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Malachie Manaouda holds that public hospitals are not commercial spaces, but social institutions grounded in equity, dignity and equal access to care.
The circular letter of 19 February 2026 reflects a governance stance on the creeping commercialisation of services within public hospitals. Over recent years, paid parking systems have quietly taken root in several public health facilities, sometimes outsourced to private operators. While often justified as a means of regulating space or generating auxiliary revenue, the practice has increasingly drawn criticism from patients and caregivers who view it as an additional financial burden in already stressful circumstances.
In his circular, the Minister notes that his attention had been “drawn several times” to the proliferation of these systems. The language suggests a recurring concern rather than an isolated incident. By describing the situation as “curious” and “out of step” with the missions assigned to public hospitals, the Minister frames it as a deviation from public service ethics.
For families already grappling with consultation fees, laboratory tests, medication costs and transportation expenses, compulsory parking charges may appear as an avoidable and insensitive addition. The Minister’s reference to the “humanisation of the hospital environment” highlights the fact that healthcare settings must not feel transactional at every point of contact.
The circular also signals a reassertion of administrative authority. By calling the practice “mercantilist,” the Minister implicitly critiques the outsourcing or informal delegation of hospital spaces to private operators. Such arrangements, though sometimes pragmatic, risk blurring accountability lines and creating opportunities for informal revenue streams.
The instruction to the Inspector General for Administrative Services, the Director of the Organisation of Healthcare and Health Technology, and Regional Delegates to ensure strict monitoring points to a desire for tighter oversight. Implementation will be the true test of the policy’s effectiveness.
The success of the measure will therefore depend on whether it is accompanied by institutional reforms that address the structural needs which initially motivated the introduction of paid parking.
Claudette Chin
