Asylum Seeker Detained In WA Says He’s Been Waiting Two Years For A Dental Appointment
Mirza has been unable to eat solid food properly, and has suffered pain and discomfort.
An Iranian asylum seeker detained in Western Australia is pushing for dental care after two years going without dentures.
The man led a string of peaceful protests last week at Yongah Hill Detention Centre in hopes to finally get an appointment with a dentist. His efforts were directed outside the International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) onsite facility, as the private contractor picked by the Federal Government to provide primary health care services within the Australian detention network.
Mirza, who’s name has been changed, has been held for more than nine years, and has had his quality of life affected since his set of false teeth were stolen among multiple possessions during an incident with another detainee in 2020.
He told the Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) that his requests to Border Force and the IHMS for a replacement have been unmet, leaving him unable to eat solid food properly, and suffering from pain and discomfort.
“To refuse to make a dentist appointment and provide Mirza with a set of false teeth is criminal,“ said RAC spokesperson Ian Rintoul in a statement. “It is a complete violation of Border Force and IHMS duty of care. Such a seemingly small thing has a huge impact on Mirza’s quality of life.”
The IHMS claims to provide a “standard of care broadly comparable to that available to the general Australian community under the public health system”. In held detention, dental consultations are meant to be provided in-house, while access to external specialists, hospitals, and allied health services facilitated through IHMS referral arrangements.
Each detainee, regardless of site, is provided with medical treatment and care, dental, ophthalmological and mental health care — free of charge — as dictated by the Department of Home Affairs in consultation with its nominated health advisors, according to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.
The last inspection of nationwide immigration detention facilities by the Australian Human Rights Commission released in 2020 found that some people in larger facilities — including at the Yongah Hill Detention Centre — were experiencing long waiting times for medical appointments.
“You can’t rely on getting help when you really need it, and some people just give up,” an anonymous respondent shared. At Yongah Hill, a dental clinic was also meant to operate one to one-and-a-half days per week prior to the pandemic.
“Such abuse is only possible because there are no checks and balances inside the detention system,” said Rintoul. “It is built to brutalise and de-humanise those held inside the fences. Mirza has committed no crime.”
A spokesperson for the Australian Border Force told Junkee individual medical issues are not publicly discussed to protect the privacy of detainees.
“All detainees have ongoing, regular access to quality health care delivered by experienced and appropriately qualified medical professionals located within immigration detention facilities,” they said.
“Dental services provided align with Australian community standards. Where complex dental procedures are required, this may entail being placed on a waiting list at a public dental hospital.”
Junkee reached out to the IHMS for comment.
Photo Credit: Refugee Action Coalition (Supplied)