The medevac expert panel that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said would open the "floodgates" and admit sick refugees and asylum seekers to Australia has been used nine times since the law passed, with the vast majority of all medevac applications being waved through by the government before reaching the final medical body.

The government has approved 31 medical transfers since the medevac law came into effect four months ago. As of Friday, nine refugees and asylum seekers had their applications rejected by the government – the medevac expert panel, reviewing the decisions, overturned two and upheld seven.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said "floodgates will open" due to the medevac law. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Due to a delay between the initial approval and a patient's treatment, 22 of the 31 approved have been transferred out of detention.

The transfer numbers – the first time such figures have been revealed since the medevac law passed – go against claims made by Mr Dutton that "floodgates" would open if doctors had greater power in deciding which refugees and asylum seekers could come to Australia for medical aid.