Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of the termination of the special scheme of paid leave for those who suffer from long Covid. In fairness, the payment has been extended on several occasions over the past number of years. Despite the Minister for Health asking for an extension to the end of June this year, the request was denied by the Minister for public expenditure.

A number of my constituents - nurses - who are on this temporary special scheme have contacted me. With its termination, they now feel totally let down. During the first year or two of Covid, they were fighting an enemy they could not see and they often did so with no PPE. They put their health at risk and now they have the burden of long Covid to deal with. They see themselves as having gone from hero to zero in the space of a few years. They consider that extending the payment is the least the Government can do for those who genuinely put their lives at risk and they want to see long Covid recognised as an occupational illness.

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