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Ethical challenges for doctors working in immigration detention
Author(s) -
Sanggaran JohnPaul,
Ferguson Grant M,
Haire Bridget G
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/mja14.01014
Subject(s) - immigration , public health , library science , medicine , sociology , management , political science , nursing , law , computer science , economics
The health of asylum seekers in Australia’s immigration detention centres has been the subject of a doctors’ letter of concern and two recent reports.1-3 Here, we present an analysis of the ethical dilemmas faced by health practitioners working in these centres1 and seek to promote a strong and considered policy discussion. Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) contracts a private health service provider, International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), to provide health care to immigration centre detainees at an Australian standard.4 However, media and other reports from Christmas Island,1 Manus Island2 and Nauru3 have raised serious concerns about the quality of care provided and whether health care professionals have been able to fulfil their professional and ethical obligations to patients in these facilities.1-3