November 12, 2019

The presidents of leading medical colleges across Australia are appealing to the Senate to maintain the Medevac legislation and the Independent Health Advice Panel (IHAP) process.

The medical community remains united in asking the Parliament to maintain the Medevac legislation and to allow the IHAP panel to continue its critical work providing independent clinical review and oversight.

There is clear evidence of the effectiveness of the Medevac legislation, and the medical need. Medevac has improved access to appropriate healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers being held offshore. It is providing greatly improved oversight and accountability.

As doctors, we continue to put patients first and uphold the basic human right to healthcare.

We know that previous delays and failures to transfer ill asylum seekers resulted in preventable suffering.

This statement is on behalf of the Presidents of:

• The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM)
• The Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD)
• The Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP)
• The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
• The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA)
• The College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand (CICM)
• The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
• The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA)
• The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
• The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
• The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)
• The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)