Micheál Martin once promised a Christmas with significance to all, but according to Olivia Barry, a nurse from the Health Service Executive in Cork contending with long-term COVID effects, we’re still dealing with the aftermath. “The last day of December was when I got my positive result,” she recounts. “There was an outbreak in the ward, and my family tested negative afterwards.” However, they have since dealt with a disease that leaves her constantly drained, needing to prioritise basic daily responsibilities she never thought twice about before.
Describing her earlier routine, Barry mentions, “I worked 12-hour night shifts, prepared meals, helped with homework, and even squeezed in a walk. Now, just driving my son to school in the morning, a 10-minute drive, mandates resting for 90 minutes once home.”
Barry is among the approximately 120 healthcare workers on the frontlines who contracted COVID in the early phase of the pandemic, when protection gear was scarce. Her life now revolves around managing the symptoms of her ongoing ailment. Long Covid Advocacy Ireland reported to an Oireachtas committee the previous month that the disorder afflicts about 350,000 folks, and support services are a “random selection”.
Echoing this sentiment, Barry, along with five other city nurses with whom she advocates for improved services, can swear to the wide range of symptoms that come with seeking varied specialists including neurologists and physiotherapists, all while suffering from extreme fatigue and other debilitating conditions.
“We’ve been lobbying almost every Cork politician,” she remarks, appreciating the efforts of TDs Mick Barry and Colm Burke in their cases. “Yet, we frequently had to alternate roles, based on who felt well enough on any given day.” Barry has tried to resume her duties four times, the first one merely after a fortnight, each time quickly realising that she just wasn’t ready.
Though the question mark shrouding the legitimacy of her ailment might have been a hindrance, it certainly did not help. Among the various channels she has ended up traversing was one leading to a psychiatry expert. At first, she recalls feeling slighted by the implications of a psychiatric evaluation—was her condition merely a figment of her imagination? The psychiatrist, however, reassured her affirmatively, marking her symptoms down to post-viral fatigue.
The relentless fatigue is a resonant theme in her plight. She, just a 46-year-old woman, handling the dual role of a general nurse and mother to two teenagers, always found time for a jog. Now, exhaustion engulfs her each morning as she wakes up.
She notes how pecuniary matters pose additional complications for her nursing companions. Like the 120 other affected colleagues, she falls under the HSE’s unique salary programme. This accounts for the basic wage but neglects overtime and premiums—a significant financial chunk for her.
The initiative has been protracted twice and discussions surrounding further extension resume at the Workplace Relations Commission next Tuesday. The mechanics for a longer-term solution are being drafted.
“We seek affirmation to eliminate any constant financial brinkmanship. We urge the recognition of our ailment as being work-related. We lobby for the aid required for recovery and for resuming service, which is our ultimate collective planner,” she intones.
The latest INMO annual conference, held at Croke Park, saw repeated callouts in support. Most notable among these was a statement by Stephen Donnelly delivered on Friday.
“In my opinion, there are relatively few in number. We had entrusted our healthcare staff with the monumental task of caring for the ill—in hospitals and community care locations all alike. The country takes enormous pride in their service. In line with this, we must ensure that their needs in this matter are met amicably,” he remarked.