COVID: Lib Dems to lead first parliamentary debate on long Covid support 

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will lead the first Scottish Parliament debate on long Covid today, as new figures published this week show the number of people reporting experiencing the condition on 2 October soared to 92,000, up 13,000 on the previous month.

Mr Cole Hamilton, pictured right,  will use the debate to argue for:

• Specialist long Covidclinics in every health board, 
• The training of long Covidcommunity nurses to offer in-home support,   
• Country-wide access to long Covidphysiotherapy and multi-disciplinary rehab, 
• A policy of no financial detriment for workers who are absent for long periods of time due to long Covid.  

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:   “Honestly it is absolutely shameful that it is taking an opposition party debate for the plight of long Covid sufferers to be heard in our nation’s parliament.

“Long Covid may turn out to be the biggest mass disabling event since the First World War but despite the hard work of campaigners, the Health Secretary [Humza Yousaf] has his fingers in his ears. 

“People have been left with muscle spasms, chronic fatigue, diarrhoea, air hunger to the point of gasping for breath.

“The Scottish Government’s action plan on long Covid is totally unfit for the scale of this challenge. I have spoken with constituents who would be better off moving to England where there are well-established clinics and a care pathway.

“The Health Secretary should know that long Covid sufferers shall not let this rest and nor shall I. We need specialist long Covid clinics in every health board, the training of long Covid community nurses to offer in-home support, country-wide access to long Covid physiotherapy and multi-disciplinary rehab and a policy of no financial detriment for workers who are absent for long periods of time due to long Covid.”