Covid-19 Pandemic Supports
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Louis O'Hara (SF), Galway East

This is an issue which has been debated a number of times. Healthcare workers went above and beyond during the pandemic and put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. Well over 100 healthcare workers who have not returned to work due to long Covid have lost the special scheme since the beginning of the year and are due to lose further entitlements. I will read out part of a letter from a constituent who is a former front-line nurse with over 30 years’ experience. She said:
Since my initial Covid-19 infection in January 2022, I have not recovered. If anything, my condition has worsened over time. I am living with debilitating symptoms that have profoundly impacted my ability to carry out even basic activities of daily living. My predominant symptoms include severe and persistent pain and stiffness affecting my shoulders, mid and lower back, buttocks, hips, thighs and extending into my legs, feet, hands and fingers. I experience constant pins and needles and burning sensations in my feet along with clearly altered sensation in both lower legs below the knee. These symptoms significantly impair my mobility and independence. I struggle to walk even short distances, have great difficulty dressing and showering and can only manage minimal household tasks due to severe pain when standing or bending. In addition, I suffer from shortness of breath, hypertension, tinnitus, brain fog, weakness in my hands and arms, dizziness, debilitating fatigue and severely disrupted sleep.
Before my illness, I was a highly experienced nurse working at a senior level and fully committed to patient care. I remained in work throughout challenging periods in healthcare including the pandemic where many of us continued our duties despite personal risk. Like many healthcare workers, I contracted Covid-19 in the workplace while caring for others. I did so willingly as part of my professional responsibility. However, the long-term consequences of that exposure have been life changing. Since attending occupational health in early 2022, I have been deemed unfit for all duties. I have had to come to terms with the reality that this is now my life - one I would not have chosen, but one I continue to face with as much resilience as I can. On 24 March of this year, I underwent an occupational health assessment for early retirement on ill health grounds. My application was declined on the basis that there was insufficient medical evidence to confirm that I am likely to remain permanently unfit for work until my normal retirement age. This was despite submitting detailed medical reports.
The loss of my career has had profound financial consequences but it has also deeply affected my sense of identity, purpose and independence. I am asking you to urgently consider the formal recognition of long Covid as an occupational illness for healthcare workers particularly nurses who contracted Covid-19 in the workplace. Such recognition would acknowledge the risks taken by front-line staff and provide a fair and structured pathway to appropriate supports and protections. If the Government is not prepared to recognise long Covid as an occupational illness, then I ask that you consider an alternative - allowing affected healthcare workers to access early retirement on the grounds of ill health without being subjected to prolonged and adversarial processes. Many of us are being forced to fight for recommendations from occupational health while already severely unwell. We are not physically or mentally able for this battle. After decades of service, we should not have to struggle to prove the impact of an illness acquired while caring for others. We should be allowed to retire on ill health grounds with dignity without having to fight tooth and nail for recognition or support. At present, the process itself can feel as burdensome as the illness.
That letter speaks for itself. In his response, I ask the Minister of State to speak to the experience of that woman and the well over 100 of her colleagues who are suffering from really severe effects of this illness but are not getting the protection and supports they need and deserve.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26