Clinics catering to those suffering from long Covid are significantly understaffed and not wholly active, leading to a “pot luck” selection of services, according to what the Oireachtas health committee will learn today. Long Covid Advocacy Ireland (LCAI), a body representing affected individuals, will state that the current interim care model for patients is outdated by 31 months without any revisions during this period.
The alleged promising centre of excellence that was intended to serve as a comprehensive service for long Covid patients has, unfortunately, remained an idea. Instead, a haphazard assortment of services exists with seemingly no specialised training, the committee will learn. The committee will hear about people whose lives have been upended and show no signs of recovery from long Covid, a disease characterised by extensive inflammation and immune system dysfunction according to LCAI.
The dire state of service availability, education, finance, mitigation, and public awareness surrounding long Covid forms the crux of the appeal made by LCAI to the health committee. Members have reported a lack of quality of life, with some even being bedridden, unable to eat or communicate. The training resources offered by the Irish College of General Practitioners, amounting to a mere two-page magazine feature, has been deemed unacceptable and offensive by the group.
The committee will be informed of LCAI’s assertion that long Covid mostly impacts women and that Ireland’s approach towards women’s health has not been commendable.
HSE’s National Clinical Director on Integrated Care, Dr. Siobhán Ni Bhrian, will also make her statements to the committee. The HSE’s care model, she will state, has secured funding and earned validation from the Health Information and Quality Authority, garnering approval for being analogous to other worldwide models.
Dr Ni Bhrian will mention the existence of six receptions for long Covid patients, dependent on staffing resources at each clinic. According to her, the evidence concerning long Covid treatment is scarce and there is no licensed, evidence-supported medication to treat this condition.