Sir Ian Wood said yesterday it is now a “fact of life” that the state needs wealthy private benefactors to bankroll some projects.
The oil tycoon said a new Aberdeen Royal Infirmary car park was the most popular initiative that his charitable trust had yet backed.
And with government budgets under increasing pressure, more such support could be needed.
The Wood Foundation gave NHS Grampian £10.7million for the car park – an initiative led by Sir Ian’s wife Lady Helen.
“The public sector should be able to produce the educational, the health, the welfare,” Sir Ian told the Press and Journal.
“Our car park. Why isn’t the hospital doing that? Well the fact is they just don’t have the funds to do it.
“So we either stand by and say ‘oh well, we just carry on with the hardship of old people leaving home an hour before they need to try and park their car at the hospital’ or try to do something to help.
“It’s just become a fact of life, frankly.”
He said the situation was not a return to the days of huge investment by Victorian philanthropist industrialists, but cash was needed.
“It was a different tally then. Those were huge sums that came from the Andrew Carnegie,” he said.
“I don’t think we are back there. But I do think it behoves everyone frankly.
“We have hardship in the north east of Scotland. And to be fair a lot of people try to do things.
“Once a week there is a charity dinner for something and that’s what we should be doing.”
Sir Ian said he sought to joint-fund projects with the public sector “wherever we can” and had successfully collaborated on a string of initiatives such as improving science teaching.
The foundation had been inundated with public support for the car park project, he said.
“Probably, of all the reaction we’ve had from the public, that’s the one where we’ve been flooded with letters.
“All kinds of super stories from people – a lot of them old people, family people – who leave home at 7.30am for a hospital appointment at 10.30am because they are worried about parking their car.”
