The Long Covid Network in Italy was established a year ago. Since then, with great efforts the founders have been trying to bring to light the seriousness the disease.
You can follow the hearing live on https://webtv.senato.it/webtv_live
They are asking is to be heard, supported, and actively involved in policy, health, and labor decisions. Four years after the pandemic, Long COVID patients are still commonly considered imaginary and invisible sick people. The Long Covid Network Italy demands that the state:
- recognizes Long Covid as a chronic and debilitating syndrome
- invests in research, international collaborations and clinical trials in the territory
- offers support for patients and their families in social, employment, and educational settings
- gives equitable access to diagnostic tests and supportive therapies
- Involves patients in research and institutional working tables
This will be the first time the Italian state will open a dialogue with Long Covid patients despite being the first country in Europe to face the complexity of Covid-19 from February 2020. Italy has been hit especially hard by the pandemic, leading to approximately 200,000 deaths. The many infections in the early phase of the pandemic have likely led to a high number of people suffering from long-term consequences. However, there are no estimates of the number of Long Covid patients in Italy.
Long Covid Network Italy launched its online community on April 5, 2024. The network was founded by Long COVID patients and supports patients and fights for Long Covid to be recognized as a disabling syndrome with a chronic and debilitating course.
Francesca Lo Castro, co-founder and spokesperson for the Long Covid Network, emphasizes:
"Too often the symptoms of Long Covid are downplayed to 'psychosomatic problems, anxiety or depression.' The medical ableism and gaslighting that patients and their families experience must be torn down. We denounce those who deny the right to life, to pain-relieving therapies such as medical cannabis, and those who speculate on the frail and desperate. We denounce the total abandonment of institutions, the media and civil society."
We at Altea wish the Long COVID network Italy much success in today’s hearing and hope that the Italian Senate hears their concerns, takes them seriously and will act on their demands.
