A woman in severe pain after suffering genital mutilation has been denied medical treatment at Nauru and a patient was discharged from the island's hospital with needles still lodged in their hands, according to damning findings by human rights researchers who gained rare access to the island.

However IHMS, the organisation contracted to provide healthcare to asylum seekers at Nauru, rejected the claims as "unsubstantiated".

Anna Neistat, Amnesty International senior director for research, has delivered a damning report, along with Human Rights Watch. Credit:Ivan Sekretarev

Two researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch spent 12 days at Nauru last month and interviewed 84 asylum seekers and refugees, as well as workers who risked prosecution by disclosing information.

A young woman at Nauru who suffered genital mutilation in her home country told Amnesty International's senior director of research, Anna Neistat, that she experienced severe pain and could not have sexual intercourse as a result. The woman reported receiving no treatment for her condition.