The Government announced earlier this month that ticket machines would have to be removed from car parks at hospitals across Scotland from next year.

However, the move does not include three hospitals — Ninewells, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

This is because, at these hospitals, parking is operated by private companies under PFI deals.

Dundee West MSP Mr FitzPatrick asked health secretary Nicola Sturgeon whether the cost of buying out the PFI contract at Ninewells “could be up to £30million”.

She confirmed the cost would be tens of millions, and said that the sum “underlined the scandal” of Labour’s PFI policy.

Staff and patients, she said, were “suffering the legacy of Labour’s obsession with privatising the NHS”.

“We will do everything possible to get these charges down,” added Ms Sturgeon, who announced the ban on hospital parking charges earlier this month.

The debate also heard from Dundee-based Labour MSP Marlyn Glen.

She has launched an online petition calling for the abolition of parking charges at Ninewells Hospital.

Ms Glen asked the minister if she agreed that allowing charges to remain at three sites created a two-tier system, which discriminated against those who use and work in the hospitals.

The Labour MSP described the charges as an “unacceptable financial burden on patients and staff”.

But her comments were branded “unbelievable” by Ms Sturgeon.

“I’m not allowing charges to remain at Ninewells,” she said.

“I cannot stop the charges because Labour tied the NHS into ridiculously-expensive PFI contracts.”

Previous indications were that the cost of buying out the PFI contracts at the three hospitals would be around £50million, including £10million for the deal NHS Tayside has with Vinci Park for Ninewells.

General questions at Holyrood also heard that the boards which will be scrapping charges — including NHS Tayside at Perth Royal Infirmary — will have to meet the additional costs from their own budgets after this financial year.