The BMJ recently reported (25/01/24) on a group of doctors with long COVID who are launching a class action lawsuit seeking compensation for injuries and losses sustained after contracting SARS-CoV-2 at work without proper protections. The advocacy group Long Covid Doctors for Action is working with a law firm on the case.
Many doctors suffered severe long COVID after occupational exposure without adequate airborne precautions. Some are now chronically disabled, bedridden, or housebound years later. The goal is legal accountability and justice for those injured.
Many also face financial ruin after losing their ability to work. Nearly 20% of doctors with long COVID surveyed can no longer work. The group calls for recognizing long COVID as an occupational disease.
The more who join, the more pressure for proper protections against airborne viruses at work in healthcare, which let down these doctors. Compensation is needed to help pay their bills after lives were derailed.
In summary, this class action case aims to provide recourse for doctors disabled by long COVID contracted occupationally without sufficient safeguards. Success could spur change in health workplace safety and compensation for lives devastated.
Footnotes
Healthcare workers in England or Wales wanting to join the class action can find out more at www.bondturner.com/services/covid-group-claim/. Healthcare workers in Scotland can contact Debbie Milne of Jackson Boyd Lawyers at www.jacksonboyd.co.uk/team/dmilne. There is no current arrangement for Northern Ireland.
The BMJ article can be read here. See also the Sky News report here.