Pressure up as Nauru camp doctor discharged

THE chief doctor at an Aust r a l ia n of f shore detent ion centre was removed Wednesday for “breaching rules”, her employer sa id, as Canberra soug ht to stem cr it icism of conditions at a deeply controversial immigration camp on Nauru.

It also comes after Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) – a lso k now n as Doctors Wit hout Borders – was ordered by Naur u to cea se it s menta l healt h treatment earlier t his month as the charit y warned of a health crisis among child ref ugees held t here.

The circumstances s urrounding the doctor’s removal and deportation were unclear but national broadcaster ABC reported Narau may have suspected her of trying to alert media about the health of her patients.

Naming the doctor as Nicole Montana, ABC said she was arrested by Nauru police late Tuesday after taking a photo of a child she was treating, a breach of rules at the camp.

International Health and Medical Services, the company that employed the doctor, confirmed to AFP she was “stood down for a breach of Regional Processing Centre rules” but did not elaborate on what the transgression was.

Healthcare ‘collapsing’

Aust r a l ia sends a s y lu mseekers who tr y to reach the cou nt r y by boat to remote Paci f ic faci l it ies such as on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, a lthough the latter camp was shuttered late la st yea r a f ter a loca l court r uling.

But the conditions in the camps have been slammed by rights groups amid reports of abuse, suicides and lengthy detention periods.

The plight of children in the centre came into sharp focus when Nauru kicked out MSF.

The charit y said many child ren were su f fer i ng “t raumatic withdrawal syndrome” and were unable to eat, drink or ta l k.

MSF says there are nearly 900 asylum-seekers in Nauru, including 115 children. They have all been on the island for more than five years.

The Australian government refused to weigh in on Montana’s sacking, saying it was “a matter for the government of Nauru” and her employer.

“A replacement senior medica l of f icer is in Nauru. There has been no i mpact to t he continuit y of care for tra nsferees,” an unnamed Department of Home Affairs spokesma n s a i d i n a w r i t t e n statement.