According to RISE findings, there are a significant number of medical cases that have been neglected by refugee case workers, not knowing where to refer people or locate proper medical resources. RISE findings also show that many asylum seekers have mental illnesses and have not had the opportunity to be seen by a psychiatrist – even after a year of settling in Australia, they still struggle to establish adequate arrangements for mental health care. Some of the assigned medical organisations and centres have refused to assist cases because they have overwhelming waiting lists and are not equipped with sufficient resources or suitable strategies to accommodate the health needs of former asylum seekers.
Our findings also show that when asylum seekers are prescribed medical drugs, they are not provided with suitable information regarding their use and side effects. There are also a number of former asylum seekers who are amputees, and have not received proper medical assistance or special benefits from Centrelink – and despite this dire lack of services, media and public hysteria regarding benefits to asylum seekers abounds.
According to RISE?s recent findings, asylum seekers have been released into the community by the Gillard government in a hand-washing gesture that does not examine the deeper settlement or health needs of former detainees whilst in the community. This extends to insufficient documentation and research regarding asylum seeker health needs, and totally inadequate federal funding for targeted medical services. We urge the Gillard government to responsibly follow up the settlement needs of asylum seekers within the community, or risk making the transition to community based arrangements for asylum seekers hollow and harmful.