News
Doctors pen open letter to Federal Government: Let us help on Manus Island
Senior Australian doctors from multiple specialties – including general practice – have signed an open letter to the Federal Government offering to fly to Manus Island and provide free healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees.
The letter’s signatories believe ‘there should be an immediate, independent review of the health status of those still on Manus’. Photo supplied.
As the situation on Manus Island continues to deteriorate, with detainees being forcibly removed from the Manus Island detention centre to new camps by Papua New Guinea authorities, the clinicians have written the letter as ‘strong advocates of “health for all” without discrimination’.
‘We believe the humanitarian issues take precedence over politics. This is a matter beyond immigration and border control, but one that affects the health of people and others’ perceptions of our great nation,’ they wrote in the letter.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel, as well as past presidents Dr Frank R Jones and Dr Liz Marles, are among the 18 signatories.
‘The letter is important to show the concern that the medical profession, across multiple specialties, expresses about the psychological and physical health of refugees seeking asylum seekers, and to make an offer of pro bono assessment of refugee health,’ Dr Marles told newsGP.
‘This is not a political campaign and we are not commenting on policy. Our concern is humanitarian and it is part of our responsibility as medical practitioners to advocate and care for the vulnerable.’
An open letter to the Australian Parliament (government and opposition) regarding the health of Asylum Seekers and Refugees on Manus Island
We are senior Australian clinicians who write in our individual capacity to express our concerns about the ongoing health and wellbeing of the former detainees still based on Manus Island and now in alternative accommodation. They, like all human beings, have a universal right – enshrined in the United Nations charter – to health and wellbeing. Their political and citizenship status should not affect this right. All politicians regardless of their political party should respect the human right to health and themselves be strong advocates of ‘health for all’ without discrimination.
- We are deeply concerned about the ongoing refugees’ physical and mental health.
- There are reports of poor hygiene and sanitation, limited supply of electricity and inadequate living conditions. All of these exacerbate disease and ill health.
- We are not aware of accurate information on the health status of the refugees since the ‘official’ closure of the Manus Island Australian-governed facility.
- We are concerned about the harm and the adverse publicity to the international reputation of Australia, its government and its people.
Urgent action is required:
- We believe there should be an immediate, independent review of the health status of those still on Manus.
- We are prepared both to participate in this and to nominate appropriate, independent and credible clinicians.
- We are of the opinion such a review should ideally be made in conjunction with senior Papua New Guinean clinicians who would take the responsibility for informing their government.
We are willing to conduct this review pro-bono, arranging the appropriate mix of clinical specialties. We would require the Australian government to negotiate the diplomatic permissions and officially sanction travel to and within PNG, as well as agree to clinical assessment of willing individuals.
We believe the humanitarian issues take precedence over politics. This is a matter beyond immigration and border control, but one that affects the health of people and others’ perceptions of our great nation.
Yours sincerely and with great concern at the current situation,
Signatories
Professor David A Watters OBE ChM FRCSEd FRACS
Alfred Deakin Professor of Surgery, Deakin University
Past President Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Laureate Professor Nicholas J. Talley MD, PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM, FAHMS
University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
Past President Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Past Chair Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges
Mr Philip Truskett AM FRACS
Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney
Past President Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Dr Lindy Roberts FANZCA FFPMANZCA FAICD
Specialist Anaesthetist and Specialist Pain Medicine Physician
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth WA
Past President of Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
Professor Patrick McGory AO FRCP FRANZCP
Executive Director Orygen
Professor Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne
President, International Association for Youth Mental Health
NHMRC Principal Research Fellow
President, Schizophrenia International Research Society
Professor David Fletcher FRACS
Director of Surgery, Fiona Stanley Hospital
Professor of Surgery, University of Western Australia
Professor Kingsley Faulkner AM Cit WA MB BS FRACS MDA (Hons)
School of Medicine, Fremantle,
University of Notre Dame Australia
Past President, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Dr Liz Marles FRACGP
Past President RACGP
Professor Bastian M. Seidel PhD, MACHI, MRCGP, FRACGP
Current President, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
Professor Bala Venkatesh, MBBS, MD (Int.Med), FRCA, FFARCSI, MD(UK), FCICM
Past President, College of Intensive Care Medicine (ANZ)
Adjunct Associate Professor Frank R Jones FRACGP
Immediate Past President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
A/Prof Christopher Milross MD FRANZCR FRACMA FAICD
Past President Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal AO RACGP
Professor School of Medicine Flinders University, Adelaide
Past President AMA
Past President AMA VIC
Professor Malcolm Hopwood MPM MD FRANZCP
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne
Past President Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
A/Professor Michael Hollands FRACS
Westmead Hospital, Sydney
Past President Royal Australasian College Surgeons
Past Chair Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges
D Dr Lee Gruner FRACMA FHKCCM GAICD
Immediate Past President Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators
Dr Genevieve Goulding FRANZCA
Senior staff specialist anaesthetist, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital
Immediate Past President, Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
Professor Lucie Walters
Professor Rural Postgraduate Medical Education, Flinders Rural Health South Australia
Immediate Past President Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
asylum-seekers manus-island refugee-health
newsGP weekly poll
Which incoming change do you think will be most beneficial to women’s healthcare?