'No clinical rationale for suspending these pay arrangements': Criticism over ending of covid payment

A clinical psychologist who has worked with long covid sufferers has described as “possibly the greatest injustice” the plight of health care workers who contracted the virus in the course of their duties losing special pay arrangements.

Liam Quaide, also a Social Democrats councillor in the East Cork area, was speaking as the arrangement by which the health care workers still enduring symptoms of the virus would be paid their regular salary came to an end at midnight on March 31.

This means that the workers concerned will be paid under their contractual sick pay rules, an arrangement which has a limited time span.

Mr Quaide described what was happening to healthcare workers who are suffering from various covid related symptoms as “a shocking way to treat people who were celebrated as heroes by our government at the height of the pandemic”.

“There is no clinical rationale for suspending these pay arrangements,” he said. “Many of these healthcare workers are experiencing a severity of symptoms that has not changed in years.

“While much of the country’s workforce stayed at home in relative safety during the lockdown, healthcare staff risked everything in their remarkable public service, and some paid an enormous price. And by healthcare staff I include, not just clinicians but catering and cleaning and other staff in healthcare settings.”

Symptoms of long covid include debilitating fatigue after modest levels of activity, joint and nerve pains, vertigo, shortness of breath, chronic sleep disturbance and cognitive difficulties — also known as ‘brain-fog’. Some can struggle with basic activities of daily living such as dressing or showering. As yet, there are very limited medical treatments available to alleviate these symptoms and no clear rehabilitation programme.

Mr Quaide pointed out that while unions are attempting to have long covid recognised as an occupational injury, similar to a majority of EU countries where financial compensation has been put in place, the position of the Irish Government was to reject this approach as it wasn’t possible to prove where these healthcare workers contracted the virus.

In a response to a query from The Echo, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said the “temporary special scheme to support eligible staff who were impacted by long covid” had been extended a number of times by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP and Reform and the extension granted in October 2023 until the end of last month had been the ‘final sanction’ according to the department.

“Any employee of the public health sector remaining unwell after that date, may utilise the full provisions of the public service sick leave scheme which will provide further support.

“The circa 120 employees impacted by the conclusion of the Special Scheme have received notification of this from their employer,” said the Department of Health spokesperson.