Deaths certain if laws dumped

REPEALING medical evacuation laws for asylum seekers and refugees will lead to more deaths in offshore detention, senators have been told.

Passed against the Federal Government’s wishes earlier this year, the laws give doctors a greater say in granting sick refugees transfers to Australia for medical treatment.

A Senate committee spent yesterday reviewing the socalled “medevac” laws. Doctors, refugee advocates and lawyers are arguing for the laws to remain.

Asylum Seekers Resource Centre chief executive Kon Karapanagiotidis says the new process is helping those in need to finally access appropriate health services.

“We have a path that will lead to more deaths and that is an absolute fact, if medevac is repealed by the Senate,” he told the committee.

“Any attempt to repeal medevac will be done so on a bed of lies, dishonesty and distortion that has been fed by (Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton) in regards as to how it is working.”

Sister Jane Keogh from the Canberra Refugee Action Campaign fears there will be even more suicide attempts if medevac is repealed.

Mr Karapanagiotidis expressed his frustration at the Government’s desires to stop the medevac process, telling senators about asylum seekers who have attempted suicide, self-immolation and died from infections. “Let doctors be in control of life and death decisions, not politicians,” he said.

Lead medical volunteer Neela Janakiramanan said acute conditions that could be easily managed in Australia had been allowed to develop into chronic ailments in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

“The PNG health system does not have the capacity to deal with the level of sickness

WE HAVE A PATH THAT WILL LEAD TO MORE DEATHS AND THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE FACT, IF MEDEVAC IS REPEALED KON KARAPANAGIOTIDIS

that is present,” she told the committee.

About 97 per cent of almost 600 refugees assessed on PNG and Nauru have at least one physical ailment, while 91 per cent suffer from mental illness. “These numbers are far worse than among disadvantaged communities in Australia and are far worse than numbers you’d find in refugee camps around the world,” she said.

Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone said the previous medical transfer process was “torturous” and beset by long delays.

Law Council of Australia supports the new process, arguing it’s an important part of fulfilling human rights duties.