Five Long Covid sufferers lodged compensation claims since North West outbreak

The state government has paid some $1.6 million to compensate Health employees, including five in Tasmania’s North and North West suffering from long-term Covid-19 symptoms.

The state government has paid some $1.6 million to compensate Health employees, including five in Tasmania’s North and North West suffering from long-term Covid-19 symptoms.

Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said at Parliamentary Budget Estimates hearings he had met with staff at the North West Mersey Hospital for a “long discussion” about their experience with Long Covid.

“I listened to how it was for them in terms of their experience during the outbreak for example and their transition back to work,” Mr Rockliff said.

“It was a very at times emotional meeting.”

Jeremy Rockliff, Deputy Premier and Minister for Health.

Long-Covid has been compared with cancer in terms of ongoing suffering in a recent US study.

Department of Health secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said 48 compensation claims had so far been received from employees in the North and North West.

She said 15 of these claims were active, with five employees incapacitated from “significant health complications”, five on graduate programs to return and five that have returned to their previous working hours.

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, Secretary and Head of Agency at Department of Health Tasmania.

Ms Morgan-Wicks said an extra $1.58 million was anticipated to be paid in compensation, bringing the estimated total of costs to $3.22 million.

She said the costs included rehabilitation, legal costs and lost wages, but also increased mental health treatment.

“We’ve had self-isolation within family homes which then impacts mental health,” Ms Morgan-Wicks said.

The secretary said supports may change as more is discovered about Long Covid.

Mr Rockliff said he would meet again with the Long Covid employees in a few weeks.

Dr Rosalie Woodruff said the employees had “put themselves in harm’s way to look after our community during the North West outbreak”.

“Workers compensation is a good start, but unfortunately we’re hearing the government is not doing enough to address the issues being experienced by these staff,” she said.