Patients with long Covid say they have been "neglected and dismissed" and that an urgent response plan is needed for those affected.
Long Covid Advocacy Ireland (LCAI) is appearing before the Oireachtas Committee on Health, along with the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Long Covid is defined by the World Health Organization as the continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial Covid-19 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months with no other explanation.
LCAI estimates that around 350,000 people are affected to some extent by the complex, multi-system disease. It said that long Covid presents with a wide range of disabling symptoms, including profound exhaustion, muscle and joint pain, cognitive dysfunction, and post-exertional malaise.