Long Covid clinic faces closure due to lack of State funding
Levels With Of Said Covid 1,000 Seen The Challenges Has Professor And At Long About The Clinic Fatigue Mater People Hospital Experiencing Patients, In Jack Lambert Cognitive Severe Dublin
A long Covid clinic at the Mater hospital may have to close next month unless State funding is secured, the infectious diseases consultant leading the clinic has said.
Jack Lambert said the Dublin clinic has seen about 1,000 patients, with people experiencing severe levels of fatigue and cognitive challenges, leaving them unable to focus or work in some cases.
“I don’t want to quit on this, but I am going to quit,” said Prof Lambert.
"The hospital does need to get funded for services they are providing.
"I am doing this as a freebie, and I used to have my research staff do this clinic but there comes a point where it is ludicrous.”
The clinic focuses on patients suffering neurological or cognitive issues linked to Covid-19.
In some cases, he said, they are getting patient referrals from hospitals listed in the HSE interim model of care for long Covid as they do not have staff specialising in this area.
He has submitted a business plan to the HSE and, earlier this month, raised concerns with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
In a response, seen by the , the minister’s office said: “The HSE's funding for 2023 has not yet been allocated. Therefore, the level of funding available for long Covid has not been determined.
“Proposals in relation to long Covid and the associated funding requirements will be considered by the department as part of the annual estimates process in the coming weeks."
Prof Lambert is critical of the continued focus on funding lung care.
“I was in clinic on Friday afternoon, I saw 27 patients. One of them needed some pulmonary assessment,” he said.
“My hope for these patients is they get a service now, and they get the right kind of service they need.
He also called for greater supports for GPs.
“Everybody can’t come to Dublin, it doesn’t matter what the hospital is,” he said.
This comes as a study from Kings College London found long Covid neurological symptoms are the most common issues for people recently infected.
“The largest group was characterised by a cluster of neurological symptoms such as fatigue, brain-fog and headache and was the most common subtype among alpha and delta variants,” found the study, referring to 2021 waves.
“A second group experienced respiratory symptoms including chest pain and severe shortness of breath, which could point to lung damage. This was the largest cluster in the wild-type period when the population was unvaccinated,” it said, referring to 2020.
The study, published in August as a pre-print, also found other symptoms among the 1,459 people, including heart palpitations, muscle pain as well as changes to skin and hair.
Claire Steves at Kings College London said: "These data show clearly that post-Covid syndrome is not just one condition, but appears to have several subtypes."