Long-Covid sufferers face ‘distrust about condition’
People in Ireland with long-Covid are struggling to overcome distrust about their condition and receive inadequate care, advocates will tell the Oireachtas health committee today.
Long Covid Advocacy Ireland (LCAI) estimates as many as 350,000 people in Ireland could have had long-Covid.
The group says the condition has left people suffering a range of debilitating symptoms long after their initial infection with the virus.
The testimony comes as the special pay scheme that allows about 118 healthcare workers who have long-Covid to receive full pay will be extended for another three months.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly got approval to extend the scheme yesterday after it ended on March 31. It will now be retrospective to April 1 and talks with unions on its future are due in the Workplace Relations Commission today.
The LCAI will tell the Oireachtas committee how long-Covid patients face significant challenges in receiving adequate care and understanding within the healthcare system.
It is calling for a plan of action, aimed at improving education, services, financial support and public awareness about long-Covid.
That includes the provision of specialised training for healthcare professionals and basic training for GPs.
The LCAI wants a public awareness campaign to educate people on longCovid symptoms and management.
It also calls for the development of clinical guidelines incorporating symptom-management protocols.
It says there is a need for changes to social protection entitlements to alleviate the financial burden on long-Covid patients, and also a need to recognise long-Covid as an occupational illness.
There should be comprehensive risk assessments to guide future responses to the “long-Covid crisis”, it added.
LCAI spokesperson Sarah O’Connell said: “We are facing a health crisis. A huge number of Irish people are grappling with illness, leading to extensive absences from work and school.
“The call for urgent action is loud and clear.
“The lack of information and awareness about this issue is alarming, highlighting a critical need to support and educate our healthcare professionals to improve outcomes.
“Moreover, there’s an immediate necessity to extend medical and financial support to those in dire straits.
“People are suffering, and, without swift, decisive intervention, the situation threatens to escalate further, impacting more lives and deepening the crisis.
“It’s imperative that we mobilise resources and expertise to address this emergency at the earliest, ensuring that the affected individuals receive the help and care they desperately need.”