Refugees need freedom: Priest

THE Catholic Bishops Conference says the number of suicidal attempts by refugees and their health problems on Manus Island will not get better unless they are given freedom from detention.
Catholic Bishops Conference social communications and youth secretary Fr Ambrose Pereira said at least three men were medically evacuated to Port Moresby for hospitalisation after suicide attempts or acts of self-harm and many of the men there remained psychotic, undiagnosed and untreated.
“To continue to keeping them is totally inhuman and unacceptable,” he said.
“The obvious answer to almost all the health problems is freedom and reducing the damage from detention due to stress, trauma, overcrowding, malnutrition, poor nutrition and lack of dental care.
The medical situation was predicted at a panel discussion on Nov 1, that people had been away from their families for the sixth Christmas and most were surviving on self-medication.
“It is clear that the medications are available without any prescriptions and these antipsychotics are very dangerous.” Pereira said.
“These medications require regular review by specialist doctors and this is not happening.
“This is not the way to treat human beings and it amounts to abuse and neglect, thus will take years for men to get over this on an island in a country that has ‘extremely low health outcomes and quality of care, with nationwide medication shortage,” he said.
An Iranian refugee, Benham Satah, doses himself with a cocktail of 14 tablets a day.
“Some take as many as 20 tablets a day, mostly anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, antipsychotics and sleep medications.
“The men purchase it from people or from the pharmacy.
“Benham buys his medications for K100 on Manus Island, while in Port Moresby it was available for K60.