action on asylum and refugees - archive
action on asylum and refugees
medical justice
Medical Justice is a burgeoning small medical NGO for asylum and immigration detainees.
It organises private visits from doctors for asylum detainees, a right granted under Rule 33.7 of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) detention guidelines. It also produces assessments of asylum detainees.
These may be torture victims without a report from a medical expert, someone who has suffered assault in detention or transit, has an unattended medical condition, or faces a dangerous risk from a break in the continuity of their medical care, which has been ignored by the statutory (private) detention contractors.
Unfortunately this happens far too frequently and deficiencies in medical care during immigration detention have grown into a serious issue. Medical Justice's work is already producing a number of important civil actions for lack of patient care, amounting to serious neglect in some cases. Many referrals occur through visitors and church networks or via the detainee grapevine.
A helpful protocol has been agreed, with IND direction, ensuring that detainees can access their right to an independent medical visit. A leaflet outlining a detainee's medical rights is available on the Medical Justice web site.
For more information, visit www.medicaljustice.org.uk
