19 Sep 2016

Dispute over health status of Nauru refugee

8:34 am on 19 September 2016

A doctor for an Afghan man detained by Canberra on Nauru says he requires urgent medical evacuation for a heart condition, but Australia says his case is not an emergency.

The Guardian reports that, according to a member of Doctors for Refugees, the man's condition requires emergency care which is not available in Nauru.

The individual concerned was taken to Nauru because he lodged his asylum application after arriving in Australia by boat.

Australia's policy to send such asylum seekers to its camps abroad is to deter people smuggling and save lives.

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