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Children with long-Covid ask health minister to put his sympathy into action

Long Covid Kids meet Humza Yousaf at Holyrood. Supplied by Long Covid Kids.
Long Covid Kids meet Humza Yousaf at Holyrood. Supplied by Long Covid Kids.

Families of children suffering from long Covid have asked the health minister to put his sympathy into action.

The children, from the charity Scottish Long Covid Kids’ Support Services, went to Holyrood yesterday for a meeting with the government with their families.

After writing letters to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Health Secretary Humza Yousaf outlining their experiences and asking for more support, they had hoped to meet both in person.

Yesterday, the first minister announced the proposed date for the next referendum. 

Mr Yousaf met with the parents and children of the charity for more than an hour.

Nine-year-old Anna Hendry was one of the children who attended the meeting. She has been battling a raft of health problems since she, and her family, fell ill with the virus in March 2020.

She said: “I need to wheelchair because I’m too tired and my legs are so painful if I walk.

“I sit at home every day feeling sick and ill and so exhausted in pain and I can’t do anything.”

The children all wrote letters to Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf. Supplied by Long Covid Kids.

‘Trip to parliament will cost their health for days’

Helen Goss, Anna’s mother, from Westhill, said: “The health secretary stuck around talking to the kids for 80 minutes. Well over the scheduled time. We are grateful to him for that.

“Credit where credit is due. He was kind and empathetic and took time for every single family. However we do need to ensure that he turns his sympathy into action for these children.”

She added: “It was disappointing the first minister couldn’t spare a few minutes to see the children.

“They are suffering daily and the trip to parliament took days of rest and preparation for them to be able to attend and will cost them in health for days, even weeks afterwards.

“We hoped the first minister would take the opportunity to listen.

Families have faced difficulty accessing health, social care, and flexible education for their children.

Dismissed and denied referrals

They have often been dismissed and denied referrals, forcing them to seek private healthcare and education at great financial burden.

Scottish Long Covid Kids’ Support Services and its sister charity Long Covid Kids said it was currently supporting 10,000 families suffering from the illness across the UK.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon did not attend the meeting with other politicians. Supplied by Long Covid Kids.

The families are hoping the meeting will give them the breakthrough they have been searching for over the past two years.

A spokeswoman for Scottish Long Covid Kids’ Support Services said: “It is the children’s hope that, by seeing and listening to them in person, the cabinet secretary may better understand how long Covid has upturned their lives, as they now live with chronic illness and varying degrees of disability.

“The children and young people living with long Covid in Scotland want the Scottish Government to take immediate action to improve access to healthcare, social care and education, and to take urgent steps to prevent more children suffering as they do.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf spent an hour and a half with the children and their families at the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

“The First Minister was unable to attend due to parliamentary commitments and Long Covid Kids was informed of this several days in advance, on June 23.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Deputy Labour Leader Jackie Baillie also met with the children.

To learn more about Long Covid Kids, visit here.

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