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Asylum seekers' medications seized, causing child to suffer fits, inquiry told Detained children's mental health problems covered up, inquiry told
(35 minutes later)
A policy of stripping asylum seekers of basic medications when they arrive at off-shore detention centres caused a three-year-old girl to suffer repeated seizures, an Australian Human Rights Commission inquiry has heard. The immigration department has attempted to cover up statistics showing alarming rates of children’s mental health problems in detention, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into children in detention has heard.
Another asylum seeker had parts of a prosthetic leg removed, while glasses and hearing aids were also seized and couldn’t be reclaimed without considerable efforts by medical staff, the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention was told on Thursday. Doctors who worked on Christmas Island also recounted shocking details of medical neglect, including stripping asylum seekers of basic medication when they arrived.
“This was a major problem,” said Dr John Paul Sanggaran, who worked at Christmas Island detention centre in 2013. Dr Peter Young, the former medical director for mental health for IHMS - the private healthcare provider in immigration detention – was compelled to attend the public hearing in Sydney, where he said a set of data presented to the department within the past two weeks had received a “negative” response and that the department “reacted with alarm”.
Young then said the department “asked us to withdraw the figures from our report”.
His evidence drew gasps from the gallery as a projected image of the statistics showed that 15% of children in detention on the mainland and on Christmas Island were scored three-four on the HoNOSCA scale for symptoms of emotional distress – Young said a score of two was “clinically significant”.
The senior former official told the inquiry statistics compiled by IHMS showed a third of people held in detention in Australia had mental health problems. He told the inquiry it was “clearly established” that prolonged time in immigration detention caused mental health problems.
Young told the commission he was aware of self-harm incidents involving asylum seeker children, including poison attempts. He told the inquiry that there was no full-time child psychiatrist on Christmas Island or on Nauru, but that staff rotated the role.
Young said the immigration department constantly overrode medical advice for the treatment of asylum seekers in detention, which he described as “troubling”.
Asked if it was appropriate to hold asylum seeker children in prolonged detention, Young said: “Any prolonged detention is harmful, therefore it’s not recommended medically.”
Two doctors who worked in detention on Christmas Island then gave evidence. Dr John-Paul Sanggaran and Dr Grant Ferguson both signed the Christmas Island doctors letter of concern, reported by Guardian Australia in December.
Sangarran and Ferguson relayed a number of details documented in the letter, including substantial delays for medical treatment on the island, shocking facilities and medical neglect.
A policy of stripping asylum seekers of basic medications when they arrived at off-shore detention centres caused a three-year-old girl to suffer repeated seizures, Sanggaran said.
Another asylum seeker had parts of a prosthetic leg removed, while glasses and hearing aids were also seized and could not be reclaimed without considerable efforts by medical staff, the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention was told on Thursday.
“This was a major problem,” said Sanggaran, who worked at Christmas Island detention centre in 2013.
“One of the more concerning, systematic things I saw was a couple of nurses standing around a garbage bin popping pills from a boat of new arrivals straight into the bin, with no records being taken of whose medication they were.”“One of the more concerning, systematic things I saw was a couple of nurses standing around a garbage bin popping pills from a boat of new arrivals straight into the bin, with no records being taken of whose medication they were.”
Another doctor working at Christmas Island at the same time, Grant Fergusson, said a three-year-old girl had medications stripped from her when she arrived and started to have fits shortly afterwards. Ferguson, who worked at the centre about the same time, said a three-year-old girl had medications stripped from her when she arrived and began to have fits shortly afterwards.
After her medications were destroyed, health services on Christmas Island could only provide her with one of the two medications she needed. Health services on Christmas Island subsequently were able to provide her with only one of the two medications she needed.
“She started having seizures,” Fergusson said. “She was left on that one medication. “She started having seizures,” Ferguson said. “She was left on that one medication.
“We eventually got supply of that medication she arrived with, but they only ordered a month’s worth so in a few weeks time they ran out and she was back to one [medication] again, and this whole time she was having seizures.” “We eventually got supply of that medication she arrived with, but they only ordered a month’s worth, so in a few weeks’ time they ran out and she was back to one [medication] again, and this whole time she was having seizures.”
He said a third medication was tried and the girl was eventually transferred off the island after a long wait and repeated requests by medical staff.He said a third medication was tried and the girl was eventually transferred off the island after a long wait and repeated requests by medical staff.
The doctor also described intense time pressures in making medical assessments of asylum seekers.The doctor also described intense time pressures in making medical assessments of asylum seekers.
“There was one doctor who somewhat braggingly mentioned that in an eight-hour shift he had gone through 90 people,” he said.“There was one doctor who somewhat braggingly mentioned that in an eight-hour shift he had gone through 90 people,” he said.
The hearings continue.The hearings continue.