However, the habitual form of the verb adds to the pathos of the sentence. The English word 'always' is not quite accurate, but is closer to crisply conveying the tragedy of being very ill most of the time. The English words' 'chronically ill' captures the habitual sense conveyed by the verb, but again it is a cold and clinical expression, unlike its Irish counterpart. However, the word is almost exclusively used now in prepositional phrases. In this case, the idiom is implying a causal relationship.
Poverty comes in the wake of chronic illness, i.e., chronic illness causes poverty.
Given the cultural value expressed in this proverb, it is not surprising that the Irish government has always provided state-sponsored medicine.