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Sir, – Ireland is ignoring a European Commission recommendation which recognises Covid-19 as an occupational disease in certain sectors and during a pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers who are suffering from long Covid are struggling financially, having risked their lives during the pandemic.
On November 28th, 2022, the European Commission adopted an updated recommendation concerning occupational diseases which recognises Covid-19 as an occupational disease in certain sectors and during a pandemic.
The commission stresses the importance of supporting workers infected by Covid-19 and families who have lost member because of work exposure to the disease. It aims to strengthen the protection of workers and encourage a consistent approach across the EU. It will be for member states to follow up on this recommendation and define the details in national law.
Why is the Irish Government slow to implement the recommendation in this regard? For the frontline healthcare workers it is not just another chronic disease. They put their lives on the line when their employers did not have adequate health and safety measures in place to protect their staff in early 2020. After four years the financial supports for frontline health care workers who are suffering from long Covid have not been resolved. In October 2023, the Labour Court ruled that the HSE and the Department of Health should engage with the unions with a view to reaching an agreement on the arrangements to be put in place for those healthcare workers who are suffering from long Covid.
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It is easy to distance oneself from responsibility so many years after the event. Memories can be short and the actions of those who made huge personal sacrifices can soon be forgotten. It is now time for action; we as a nation are morally obliged to protect those who put their lives on the line for us. It has taken too long for the Government to address this issue for these healthcare workers. – Yours, etc,
LORNA O’CALLAGHAN,
Dublin 13.