Health Committee to hear from long COVID patients and hold roundtable with experts

THE House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport will hear from Australians living with long COVID and other post-viral illness at a public hearing on February 17, 2023 at Parliament House in Canberra.

The Chair of the Committee, Mike Freelander MP, said, "Listening to Australians living with long COVID about their experiences, journey to diagnosis and treatment is a key role of this inquiry.

"The committee appreciates the time taken by many people with long COVID who wrote to us to share how the condition has deeply impacted many aspects of their lives. Our next public hearing will unpack some of the issues raised in these submissions in more detail  so we can consider how to better support long COVID patients now and in the future."

The committee will also hear from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (NACCHO) and a roundtable of experts jointly organised by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Deputy Chair of the Committee, Melissa McIntosh MP, said, "The roundtable convened by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences will bring together experts in areas such as infectious diseases, epidemiology, immunology, mental health and public health. This is a great opportunity for the Committee to hear from individuals at the forefront of COVID research and treatment."

The committee will hear from the Department of Health and Aged Care about what the Government is doing to respond to the new challenges for Australia’s healthcare system presented by long COVID and repeated COVID infections and is also looking forward to hearing from NACCHO with its valuable insights into the primary care response to COVID-19 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference and published submissions are available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday, 17 February 2023
Time: 8am – 5pm AEDT
Location: Committee Room 1R3 (until 12.10pm) and 2R1 (from 1.00pm), Parliament House, Canberra

Program:

8am–8.30am: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
8.30am–9.20am: Department of Health and Aged Care
9.20am–9.50am: Mr Bruce Sedgwick and Ms Sophie Sedgwick, private capacity
9.50am–10.20am: Associate Professor Nada Hamad, person with lived experience of long COVID (by videoconference)
10.20am–10.50am: Break
10.50am–11.30am: Australian Long COVID Community Facebook Group
11.30am–12.10pm: Session on lived experience of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) (by videoconference)
12.10pm–1pm: Break
1pm–5.00pm: Roundtable with experts organised jointly by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
5pm: Public hearing close

The public hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

 

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