Scottish Government isn’t listening to pleas for long Covid help - Susan Dalgety

This Friday (March 15) is International Long Covid Awareness Day and on Wednesday MSPs will have the chance to debate a motion tabled by Tory MSP Sandesh Gulhane. He knows more than most of his parliamentary peers about medical matters, as he is also a GP managing to fit in one day a week at his medical practice along with his MSP duties.

A recent study found that the most common symptoms of long Covid include loss of smell, shortness of breath and chest pain, amnesia, an inability to perform familiar movements or commands, and hallucinations

So, when he speaks about a medical condition such as long Covid, the Scottish Government should take note. He knows what he is talking about. In his motion, he sets out the scale of the problem. Apparently, there are an estimated 187,000 people with the condition in Scotland, including thousands of children. Indeed, recent research by Edinburgh University – which looked at 5.1 million Scots - shows that the condition is as common as stroke, COPD, and atrial fibrillation.

Yet as Dr Gulhane notes in his motion, which has attracted support from Labour and the Lib Dems, there has been a lack of progress in diagnosis and treatment services, resulting in a postcode lottery for long Covid support. And he highlights concerns that there are no specific services aimed at children with long Covid.

A report published last week by leading health charity Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland echoes Dr Gulhane disquiet. It revealed that 40 per cent of people living with long Covid are unable to work due to their condition. And more than 80 per cent of sufferers have struggled to access support services, with many GPs unable to provide them with guidance on where they can get help.

We are all still suffering from a Covid hangover, whether it is children and young people whose education was so cruelly disrupted, businesses that went bankrupt or families grieving their loved ones who died from the virus. The cost-of-living crisis is the result of the destabilising effect the pandemic had on the global economy, as are long NHS waiting lists and the crisis in dental services.

Public health minister Jenny Minto insists the government takes long Covid “very seriously”, but as the chief executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Jane-Claire Judson says, people with the condition can’t wait any longer. They need help now. But is the Scottish Government listening?