Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the support of my colleagues in the Regional Group. The reality is that many patients with long Covid are not being believed. The motion provides some official acknowledgement that they are being listened to. In fairness to most Deputies, they have not recognised this issue to date because patients have not come to them directly. I want to thank Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh and, in particular the library and research service for its support and for performing significant background research over the past year that has assisted me in helping to highlight the need to support long Covid patients across the country. I thank the Ministers of State and colleagues across the House for their support in allowing this important motion to be adopted unopposed. I want the Ministers of State to keep two figures in mind when the debate is over. One is six months and the other is €500 million.

At present, long Covid patients suffer have to suffer for, on average, six months before getting a first appointment in the specialist clinics being established by the HSE throughout the country because these clinics are not being staffed. The Ministers of State made reference to long Covid clinics, in particular St. Vincent's University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and University Hospital Galway. There are just two staff appointed to St. Vincent University Hospital's long Covid clinic. No staff have been appointed to the Beaumont clinic or University Hospital Galway's clinic. That is why people are waiting. The Mater Hospital clinic is set to close at the end of this year.

Long Covid patients with serious and debilitating medical conditions, from brain fog to chronic fatigue, are waiting an average of ten weeks from the date of referral to specialist clinics, with the longest wait being 42 weeks for patients trying to access the clinic in St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin.

We must not forget that to meet the criteria for long Covid, a patient must experience symptoms for at least 12 weeks and if they are lucky they will get to see a GP be referred to a clinic within four weeks. This results in people suffering with long Covid related symptoms and having to struggle with their illness for at least six months, on average, or well over a year if they are waiting to access support in St. Vincent's University Hospital Dublin, as Deputy Brady said. While those waiting the longest after a referral to St. Vincent's hospital are those in Tallaght, who are waiting for 26 weeks after referral, in Cork University Hospital the wait is 20 weeks and the wait in University Hospital Galway is 16 weeks after referral.

Long Covid is costing at least €500 million in lost work and welfare alone. Data from the Department of Social Protection show that 0.81% of those who contracted Covid-19 and claimed the enhanced illness benefit payment were medically certified as being unfit to work 12 weeks later. Extrapolating this across the total number of people infected with Covid-19 in the adult population equates to 21,459 adults who are unfit to work or hold down a job. If we use the arbitrary six-month waiting time for care, this equates to €586 million in lost wages and welfare payments alone, never mind the impact long Covid is having on our already overburdened health service.

We heard personal stories from colleagues in the House earlier. We have long Covid patients in the Gallery, each and every one of whom represents thousands of patients throughout the country, many of whom are watching this debate on Oireachtas TV.

I will leave two stories with the Minister and the Taoiseach. One is from a ten-year-old boy named Oisín and the other is from an 11-year-old girl named Órla. The ten-year-old boy, Oisín, performed when the Taoiseach visited to open his school recently. It was a very proud day for him and his family to have the Taoiseach there but, sadly, his mum who is housebound was not physically able to witness that performance because she has long Covid. Eleven-year-old Órla is attending school just three days per week because of the symptoms of long Covid but, as she says, "I am still struggling and some days, I even have to go home earlier". Covid has had a considerable impact on all of us but I ask that the Government to ensure that our children, such as Oisín and Órla, do not continue to suffer because long Covid patients cannot get access to the medical care that will make a real difference on their road to recovery.

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