Australians, and others, might rightly point a critical the finger at the way the USA "runs" Gitmo, and like facilities elsewhere, but Australia has its very own disgraceful situation in the way it treats asylum-seekers in detention camps. It's totally inhumane, indecent and unconscionable - stop!
"The desperate state of healthcare offered to asylum-seeker families, children, babies and pregnant women inside the Nauru detention centre can be revealed for the first time in a comprehensive report produced by five independent clinical experts, obtained exclusively by Guardian Australia.
Observations in the report include:
Children in the Nauru detention centre are not adequately screened for disease, resulting in the likelihood that many are carrying undiagnosed blood-borne diseases and up to 50% are carrying latent tuberculosis.
There are no paediatricians employed in the centre and no paediatric life support available on Nauru.
There is no clear child protection framework for children inside the centre and it is unclear what child protection checks are undertaken for Nauruan staff. This, according to the report, “places them [asylum seeker children] at significant risk of sexual abuse”.
Most pregnant women are suffering from depression.
Immunisation courses are not properly completed, increasing the risk of transferable diseases.
In a 14-month period between 2012 and 2013 there were 102 cases of self-harm, including 28 hanging attempts by 18 detainees; 6.3% of the asylum seekers are on psychotropic medication to treat mental illness.
There were 53 medical transfers to Australia in 2012-13 at a cost of $85,000 a transfer, with the report also noting that these can take up to 36 hours to complete.
Living conditions are “crowded, hot and humid” with children having “limited meaningful play”. Children play with stones.
There is an apparent significant risk of groundwater
contamination as a result of poor waste management at the detention centre.
There are nine 17-year-old unaccompanied minors on Nauru.
"The desperate state of healthcare offered to asylum-seeker families, children, babies and pregnant women inside the Nauru detention centre can be revealed for the first time in a comprehensive report produced by five independent clinical experts, obtained exclusively by Guardian Australia.
Observations in the report include:
Children in the Nauru detention centre are not adequately screened for disease, resulting in the likelihood that many are carrying undiagnosed blood-borne diseases and up to 50% are carrying latent tuberculosis.
There are no paediatricians employed in the centre and no paediatric life support available on Nauru.
There is no clear child protection framework for children inside the centre and it is unclear what child protection checks are undertaken for Nauruan staff. This, according to the report, “places them [asylum seeker children] at significant risk of sexual abuse”.
Most pregnant women are suffering from depression.
Immunisation courses are not properly completed, increasing the risk of transferable diseases.
In a 14-month period between 2012 and 2013 there were 102 cases of self-harm, including 28 hanging attempts by 18 detainees; 6.3% of the asylum seekers are on psychotropic medication to treat mental illness.
There were 53 medical transfers to Australia in 2012-13 at a cost of $85,000 a transfer, with the report also noting that these can take up to 36 hours to complete.
Living conditions are “crowded, hot and humid” with children having “limited meaningful play”. Children play with stones.
There is an apparent significant risk of groundwater
contamination as a result of poor waste management at the detention centre.
There are nine 17-year-old unaccompanied minors on Nauru.
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