Cllr Maria Dollard calls for Dedicated Long Covid Clinics for Kilkenny

Green Party Councillor Maria Dollard has tabled a motion to Kilkenny County Council to call on the Minister for Health to establish a Long Covid Clinic for patients in the South East. With Kilkenny recently amongst the counties with the highest weekly incidence of Covid 19 and a confirmed 30,739 positive PCR tests up to July 20, the call reflects the need for urgent action. Patient centred, multi-disciplinary initiatives are needed to provide recovery services for people with long-term symptoms.

Research indicates that 114,500 people, mostly women aged 40-60, are suffering the symptoms of Long Covid. Doctors in the Beacon Hospital where one of the clinics is currently located, have identified 56 different symptoms that can include chest pains, breathlessness, extreme fatigue and insomnia. These symptoms can range across neurology, lung and heart problems and appear to change over time. Patients can manage their symptoms with support but access to this support is not readily available to patients particularly in the South East, who have had to fight to retain their services in Dublin.

Councillor Dollard explains:

“It is completely unacceptable to me that we have clinics set up in every other area in Ireland but patients in the South East must travel to Dublin for support from clinics already overloaded by the population base in Dublin.”

The estimate that 10% of people who have developed Long Covid following acute illness in Ireland is based on the lower end of international evidence. Some research suggest figures as high as 25%.

The impact of a second Covid infection is also a factor in developing Long Covid. Professor Seamus Linnane of the Beacon Hospital has previously stated in the Irish Examiner that “repeated Covid infections increase your risk of getting Long Covid”. As patients are finding it difficult to access services locally in the public health system, with the HSE is already struggling to provide non- Covid care to patients, the lack of Long Covid clinics means many are suffering in silence.

Cllr Dollard also notes:

“Many of the patients with Long Covid are themselves healthcare staff and while we were quick to sing their praises throughout the pandemic, it is now critical we follow through and make arrangements to continue to ensure they get the healthcare they need following their illnesses. Some of these patients contracted illness more than once, some before vaccines were available and now find them selves unable to return to work. We must do better and not abandon people with Long Covid in Kilkenny and the South East.”