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

Long Covid is the title given to a range of illnesses that have left previously healthy individuals who have not recovered from Covid infections with no quality of life. These patients once led busy professional and family lives are now, but they are now in some instances bedridden, unable to eat and unable to communicate. Despite the severity of their condition, many are being denied medications and treatment that, while they would not cure them, could help to manage their symptoms and improve their daily lives.

While health experts confidently advised that most people would recover over time, I have published data, based on a self-reporting national survey that I commissioned over the past 18 months, which paints a very different picture. The incidence of long Covid symptoms has remained stubbornly constant over that period, with a rate of 6% of adults reporting that they are suffering from these post-Covid symptoms. The poll data commissioned from the Ireland Thinks polling company, highlights the continued prevalence of these debilitating effects four years after the initial onset of the pandemic. The data indicates that more than 61,000 adults continue to suffer from the symptoms associated with long Covid for more than two years after contracting the disease. The most recent poll last month indicates that 27% of those with long Covid symptoms have had them for more than two years and that a further 28% of adults struggling with these symptoms for more than a year.

These figures clearly show that the HSE's long Covid clinics are failing tens of thousands of patients. Many clinics remain understaffed and, therefore, are not fully operational. Instead of a centre of excellence approach, it has become a potluck, pick and mix of services with no apparent specialised training in understanding and treating patients. Despite all of this, there have been some very positive reports from patients about individual doctors and some multidisciplinary supports, including occupational therapy and psychology. Unfortunately, these are the exception rather than the rule. The interim model of care in operation in these clinics is now 32 months old and has had zero updates. The HSE committed to establishing clinical guidelines in line with HIQA recommendations last year in order to achieve some consistency for patients, yet these clinical guidelines have not materialised. We need to ensure that long Covid patients are not forgotten and that they receive the care and support they need to manage their symptoms and improve the quality of their lives.

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