Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health and Wellbeing
The AMA maintains that those who are seeking, or have been granted asylum in Australia have the right to receive rapid access to high quality, culturally appropriate and comprehensive healthcare.
There are now more than 36.4 million refugees around the world.
In a new position statement the AMA says equitable, accessible and appropriate health care must be provided to all people seeking asylum in Australia.
Refugees and asylum seekers have often lived through extreme poverty, war and natural disasters, resulting in complex trauma and many are children that require urgent psychosocial support to address the trauma they have experienced.
While all people with refugee status who hold permanent or temporary visas have access to Medicare-funded services and may be eligible for support under the Status Resolution Support Services program, the AMA calls for faster access to these programs to ensure refugees and asylum seekers can get appropriate and culturally sensitive care. Timely social support is also required, including access to welfare benefits and community support services.
