PIAC’s report sets out a range of recommendations for the government to follow, including the immediate release of Medevac refugees and asylum seekers into the community. He told PIAC “you need to be extreme or threatening self-harm for any action to be taken. “Maybe one hour of gym – that’s the only time that I am not in my room,” he said in the report, adding, “The rest of the day, I’m lying on my bed or sitting on the chair.”Īnother man complained that mental health support in immigration detention was grossly inadequate. Ismail Hussein, a former Medevac transferee detained at the Mantra Hotel in Melbourne, said the conditions were “more difficult than what we experienced in Manus Island”, with people spending up to 23 hours a day in their rooms.

“Since being transferred to Australia, the conditions of onshore detention have resulted in our clients’ mental health deteriorating to the point they have been at risk of suicide.”

“The combination of delayed treatment and long-term confinement to a hotel room has also exacerbated some existing medical conditions,” she said. Ms Geddes said sustained periods of detention and looming uncertainty had contributed to the declining physical and mental health of Medevac asylum seekers and refugees. “It is absolutely appalling that two years later, people are still waiting for treatment for painful and debilitating conditions including severe gum disease, chest pain and heart palpitations.” “The Medevac regime was intended to ensure that people detained in offshore facilities with serious health conditions could access essential medical services,” said Lucy Geddes, PIAC senior solicitor and the report’s lead author. Protesters have rallied outside the Park Hotel in Melbourne where asylum seekers are being held. The legislation required two independent doctors to determine that the temporary transfer was necessary, with the Minister of Home Affairs given 72 hours to approve or refuse the transfer. Delays in treatment and the impact of indefinite detentionĪbout 190 refugees and asylum seekers were transferred to Australia under the Medevac scheme, which operated for eight months – from 1 March 2019 until 4 December 2019. PIAC says Rashid has been told that the dental treatment he requires may not be provided in the public system or by International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), who are contracted by the Department of Home Affairs. Another man interviewed by PIAC, Pakistani refugee Rashid* has been in detention for eight years and was detained on Christmas Island in July 2013 before his transfer to Manus Island.ĭespite a longstanding history of severe gum disease and dental issues, Rashid has been waiting 21 months for dental treatment since his transfer to Australia.Ĭurrently held in a Brisbane detention centre, Rashid remains in pain with a deteriorating dental condition.

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