Student nurse Anna* told 9news.com.au that it’s costing already underpaid healthcare workers a small fortune, and putting them in danger.

”It’s ridiculous, nurses are so important and they’re getting all these fines, and it just accumulates,” she said.

Public transportation isn’t a viable alternative either, as no O’Bahn buses are available early enough to get them to the hospital for the start of their shifts at 6am.

“I’m only there for a month, so I can’t imagine how full time nurses feel,” Anna said.

“And this isn’t limited to one location—every hospital experiences the same challenges with parking, leaving you no choice but to either rely on public transport or park on the street.”

The WCHN spokesperson confirmed work is well underway on the development of the hospital’s new carpark.

It will have 1300 spaces, nearly double the current number of on-site hospital parking spaces.

But Anna fears that alone won’t solve the issue.

”There’s too many staff members [and] honestly I just think that this problem is going to transfer to that car park,” she said.

There’s a call for the Adelaide City Council to establish a free street parking permit for scheduled nurses and healthcare workers at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Anna said there has been a flood of positive responses from everyday Aussies who agree our healthcare workers deserve better.

“They’re exhausted and just want to reach home to their families. It’s unfortunate that they’re left with either walking long distances or paying for parking when nurses are already not compensated adequately.”

*Name changed for privacy reasons.