Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I know she has a very busy day ahead of her.

Covid-19 has dominated our lives for the last two and a half to three years and has cost billions of euro but much more tragically, it has cost lives. While we have had a significant number of fatalities and families grieving as a result of Covid-19, what we also have are lots of people who got Covid-19 and are still suffering from it. I refer to those with what is termed long Covid, whereby people still have symptoms many months, and in some cases more than a year, after contracting the disease. There are people out there who are fatigued, who have lost their sense of taste permanently and who have lost their sense of smell. Some people have had to retire early from work while others are only working short days. There are young people who have been in hospital for lengthy periods as a result of long Covid and who have aged dramatically since they were diagnosed with Covid-19. There are young people out there who were perfectly healthy and fit, who were out running, swimming and doing all of the normal things that young people do who are now fatigued and can hardly move. They are just about able to dress themselves, have lost their sense of smell and taste and many are depressed, in some cases seriously depressed.

Last summer, it was not clear whether the long Covid clinic operated by Dr. Jack Lambert in the Mater Hospital would get the funding needed to continue, which is an unacceptable situation. Just because the pandemic has subsided, Covid is not the health priority it once was and because the country has fully reopened and everything is restored, it does not mean we should forget about the people who have long Covid and are still suffering as a result of it.

There are no figures available on the number of people who are suffering from long Covid. It would be very helpful for us, as policymakers, to have that information. I would also like to know the Government's intentions with regard to long Covid clinics. Are the people who are now running these clinics going to have the certainty of a commitment of funding going forward, in 2023 and beyond? How many long Covid clinics is it proposed to open in other parts of the country? People suffering from long Covid in Cork or Donegal should not have to travel to Dublin to receive treatment. What supports are being provided to GPs in the context of long Covid? Is there a strategy in place of working with GPs so that they can provide the necessary supports to people in their communities who are suffering from long Covid? While I have no doubt there is a strategy and the intention is there, the delivery is what matters. I want to know the figures, the plans in terms of resources and the timelines for delivery of care to support those citizens who are suffering from long Covid.