Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Regional Group for tabling this important motion and acknowledge Deputy Naughten's work in this area over some time. He certainly stuck with it for a long time, as indeed have other Members. Unfortunately, the Minister for Health has not responded to this. It seems as though the Government is hell-bent on sidelining long Covid. As such, any opportunity to highlight issues related to long Covid care and support is very welcome. There are so many people suffering from the condition, yet the Government seems to just turn a blind eye.

We can all appreciate that many people do not want to hear about Covid and want to move on but that is a luxury long Covid patients simply do not have. Symptoms such as chronic fatigue, depression, breathlessness, blurred vision, migraine and brain fog act as a constant reminder of their condition. It is estimated that over 300,000 adults in Ireland have suffered or are suffering from these symptoms of long Covid but you would not think it from the Government's response.

The Government's healthcare plan ignores the science. It has completely left children with long Covid behind and the social welfare response has made us an outlier in Europe, in the worst possible way.

I am particularly concerned about the model of care for long Covid, which has failed to keep pace with the science. In fact, it was out of date before it was even published. The plan is primarily focused on the lungs and heart and not on the brain. The neurological and psychological impacts of long Covid have been known for quite some time, having first been identified in the medical literature in December 2020, nine months before this Government's plan was finalised. Yet only one neurologist is funded under the Government's plan, and this is for the entire country. You really could not make this up.

Alongside ignoring the science, this Government has ignored patients. Last July, I asked the Minister for Health if long Covid patients were consulted during the drafting of the model of care. I was told "No", because it was a new disease. This is no reason to exclude patients. If anything, it is all the more reason to include them. Equally, what about children? The new long Covid clinics do not accept patients under the age of 16. Instead, children are directed to their GPs. It beggars belief that in the third year of the pandemic the Minister still has not managed to put together a plan for children.

Another glaring omission from the plan is the Mater hospital's long Covid clinic. I have repeatedly questioned this Government's decision not to fund this clinic. It is the longest-running clinic in the country. Instead, the Minister has dithered, thereby forcing the Mater hospital's clinicians to cut back services in the north inner city. How much longer will the business case for a multidisciplinary long Covid clinic in the Mater hospital sit on the Minister's desk? He has done nothing about it and this is the centre that has treated most people in the country for long Covid. The particular expertise exists in the long Covid clinic in the Mater hospital under Dr. Jack Lambert, and yet the Government and the HSE will not engage with him. I honestly cannot understand what the reluctance has been to fund this service. Clearly, what the Minister was trying to do was to run down the clock in this regard.

I was disappointed to hear this morning about what has happened with this clinic. Dr. Jack Lambert has been in touch to say there has been an instruction to phase out the long Covid clinic in the Mater hospital due to the fact that the HSE has refused to engage with the clinic in respect of its business plan, which was submitted to the HSE in July 2022. There has been no response from the HSE. An instruction has now been given by management in the Mater hospital that due to the fact that the HSE has refused to fund the long Covid clinic in the hospital, the clinic will have to close by the end of this year. This is the clinic where there is the most expertise and the one which has treated hundreds of patients, and it is going to close at the end of the year because of the failure of the HSE to engage with it and to provide adequate funding. The management and the Mater hospital have made it clear that if funding were provided, the hospital would be more than happy to continue operating the clinic.

I am, therefore, putting it to the Minister of State that he and the senior Minister owe it to the many hundreds of people who have been helped by this clinic, and to those who would dearly love to be taken on by the clinic to receive the necessary treatment, to ensure that the HSE engages, however late in the day, with the Mater hospital concerning the maintenance of this clinic. I ask the Minister of State to raise this issue with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, as a matter of urgency today.

There have also been serious staffing concerns right across long Covid and post-acute clinics. It seems that only 22.5 out of 70 posts funded under the plan have been recruited for. I repeat that is only 22.5 out of 70 posts. It has been more than a year since this plan was published. Was no workforce planning done in this area? We know precious little workforce planning has been done right across the health service and this is the biggest challenge now to the provision of health services. It seems, however, that no workforce planning at all has been done in respect of Covid clinics. During last month's hearings in the Joint Committee on Health, we learned that the waiting list for some long Covid clinics can be up to five months, and even longer. Reports are coming in from many patients that they have been told the wait is closer to ten months at this point. This must feel like a lifetime when people are dealing with symptoms such as overwhelming anxiety, depression, breathlessness, brain fog and fatigue. These patients need much quicker access to clinical psychology, neurology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services. For some, while they languish on waiting lists their problems are compounded by financial pressures.

Let us take Emma from Kildare. She is a nurse who just returned to work after contracting Covid-19 on the wards in April. Her life has been turned upside down by long Covid. She has been unable to care for her children and everyday activities have become exhausting for her. She was refused sick pay in August and September and has had to go back to work. She can, however, only work greatly reduced hours, which leaves her at least €400 short monthly. This is the reality of long Covid and the Government has failed to acknowledge how life-changing a diagnosis it can really be. All healthcare and front-line workers who are unfit to work due to long Covid should be entitled to special leave as an absolute minimum. Arbitrary deadlines should be scrapped.

There are, of course, other issues regarding the Government's failure to adequately address the Covid-19 issue. One of these is the whole question of the Department of Social Protection's failure to revise the position regarding occupational illnesses. Why is Evusheld still not available to immunocompromised people in Ireland, despite its approval by the European Medical Agency, EMA, last March? I could go on and on, but I have run out of time. The Minister of State knows long Covid patients are suffering. They can no longer be given the cold shoulder. I want the Minister of State to take this issue up with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, in a serious way. It is time to change course and the Minister for Health has to act.

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