Baillie: Long Covid is next crisis

SCOTLAND must open long Covid clinics to help ease pressure on GP surgeries, opposition leaders have said.

Family doctors have warned of increasing pressure as patients present with symptoms believed to be caused by the virus.

It is thought there are up to 80,000 Scots suffering from long Covid, with one in seven people continuing to experience symptoms up to 12 weeks after testing positive.

In England, £34million has been allocated for specialist long Covid clinics, with £5million pledged in Wales.

However, so far in Scotland the Scottish Government has failed to commit to centres for dealing with illness. Tory MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane has released a paper calling for long Covid clinics in Scotland. Scottish Labour health spokesman Jackie Baillie is now urging ministers to fund clinics as well as research into the symptoms.

Labour also believe long Covid should be classed as an occupational disease.

Miss Baillie said: ‘Long Covid is our next health and economic crisis.

‘As we speak, thousands of Scots living with long Covid are suffering and are being denied the help others in England and Wales are receiving. We are today calling for the establishment of specialist long Covid clinics, investment in Scottish-specific research into long Covid and the recognition of long Covid as an occupational disease.’

It comes as doctors said the potential need to carry out two vaccination programmes, for both seasonal flu and coronavirus booster doses, may also stretch their services in the coming months.

The Scottish Government’s national clinical director has suggested those who receive the seasonal flu jab could have it the same day as their third dose of coronavirus vaccine. A number of factors have led to growing workloads for GPs, according to anecdotal data from the BMA Scotland union.

Dr Patricia Moultrie, deputy chair of the Scottish GPs committee of the BMA, said: ‘It does look as though long Covid is going to be managed in the community. But looking at the numbers, we are very concerned about the workload that is going to be sitting in the community.’