Scottish budget spends just £17 per head to tackle long Covid

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today warned that new figures show Scotland is spending just £17 per head to tackle long Covid, less than a fifth of the money made available in England and Wales.

Scottish Liberal Democrat analysis of new figures published by the Office for National Statistics reveal that so far funding interventions in England amount to £116 for every person suffering long Covid. In Wales its £105. But in Scotland it is just £17.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“ONS data shows thousands more working-age people are economically inactive due to ill health. That is the price of both long waiting lists for treatment and long Covid.

“£17 a head is the price of a takeaway. That’s all ministers think long Covid patients are worth.

“In the middle of a downturn, amid low productivity and labour shortages, we need the talents of everyone to grow the economy and make our country fairer. That’s what this afternoon’s budget should be about.

“Instead there is not a single word of comfort throughout its 158-pages to the 175,000 sufferers of long Covid. The First Minister must invest in their futures and help them get better.”