Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for this important question. I acknowledge his ongoing advocacy and work on the issue.

The Government is committed to ensuring that those suffering from long Covid receive the full support they need. A few months ago, I met patients attending a long Covid clinic in Tallaght University Hospital. Hearing first hand from them about the significant deterioration in their ability to live their lives and the symptoms they were dealing with was sobering. According to the advice I have been given, we know that long Covid can be experienced through approximately 50 symptoms, the most common being fatigue, weakness, breathlessness, anxiety, difficulty with memory and concentration, and musculoskeletal pain. These are serious symptoms.

Anyone concerned with long Covid is advised in the first instance to attend his or her GP, who can refer him or her for specialist care where needed. There are services in place. Critically in the context of this question, we are expanding those services. The HSE has developed and is implementing an interim model of care to provide long Covid services nationally. Some €2.2 million has been allocated directly for that. It involves services across a number of healthcare settings, including GPs, communities and hospitals. The initial priority is to establish post-acute and long Covid clinics within each hospital group. The HSE has advised that the post-acute clinics are managing patients between four and 12 weeks after initial onset of infection and the long Covid clinics are managing patients 12 weeks post onset of infection. The clinics are established as part of a new interim model of care. They are operational in four of the hospital groups and work is ongoing to establish the additional clinics and links with the other hospital groups and clinics to ensure that we have a national network, which we need and for which the Deputy has been calling.

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