St Vincent’s long COVID clinic closure ‘will hang patients out to dry’
The decision by St Vincent’s Hospital to close down the state’s first dedicated long COVID clinic is shortsighted and will harm patients, says NSW Greens Health spokesperson and former GP Dr Amanda Cohn.
The clinic will cease at the end of the month, after operating for three and a half years. Media reports claim patients will be contacted in the coming days regarding their treatment options.
In January, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the clinic was fully booked and had treated more than 1000 patients since it had opened in March 2022.
Separate spokespeople for NSW Health Minister Ryan Park and NSW Health have claimed people with long COVID could be “supported by their GP, with referral to specialised clinics”.
This is a direct contradiction to a federal parliament inquiry, which recommended the funding of purpose-built long COVID clinics in public hospitals.
The 2023 inquiry estimated approximately 500,000 people in Australia have symptoms lasting three months or longer after contracting COVID.
Quotes attributable to Dr Amanda Cohn MLC:
“The closure of the long COVID clinic is premature,” Dr Cohn said.
“In a perfect world where people were easily able to access their regular GP and other specialist care, there would be no need for a dedicated long COVID clinic, but this simply isn’t the case.
“Particularly for an emerging and complex chronic condition, there is a huge demand for specialised support for people living with long COVID and this decision will hang patients and their families out to dry.”
Media Contact: Dylan Arvela | (02) 9230 2566 | [email protected]