The Nicosia general hospital is to introduce fees at its car park, the state health services organisation (Okypy) announced on Thursday.

Okypy said there will now be a “controlled parking area” at the hospital, which will have entry and exit barriers as well as registration plate recognition software, while it will also be put under “24-hour control by reception staff”, who, it said, “will ensure the smooth operation of the system”.

The first three hours of parking will be free of charge, while a stay between three and five hours will cost €2, and a stay beyond five hours will cost €15.

A number of groups will be exempted from the new parking charges, including outpatients, day care patients, people who are hospitalised overnight and one vehicle belonging to a relative, disabled people, and hospital staff who do not otherwise have a personal parking space.

Okypy said the new charges will “ensure that the available parking spaces are used exclusively by those with a relation to the hospital’s services”.