Asylum seekers detained offshore are being denied access to urgent medical care in Australia because immigration officials fear they will access legal assistance otherwise unavailable to them, an alliance of health workers says.
The allegation comes from the group Doctors 4 Refugees that reviews medical cases at the request of refugees detained in offshore prisons on Nauru, Manus, and Christmas Island.
Despite a lack of medical equipment and expertise available locally, it is increasingly rare for detainees to be sent to Australia for treatment.
“There’s a push to keep them away from Australia,” said Dr Barri Phatarfod, cofounder of the medical alliance. “The fear is that in Australia they may have access to legal assistance and the courts.”
The claim is backed by documents shown to Al Jazeera by the the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC).
In an email referring to an ongoing legal case before the High Court that challenges the legality of offshore detentions, an official at the Department of Immigration stated: “This is likely to cause problems with being able to return transitory persons, as more and more plaintiffs join the litigation.
“It is therefore important to return as many transitory persons as well [sic] can, as soon as possible.”
More than 200 offshore detainees who travelled to Australia for medical treatment are currently able to stay in Australia awaiting the judgement in the High Court case.
They could be returned to Manus and Nauru if the court declares the legal challenge invalid.
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