The Department of Immigration and Border Protection says a 27-year-old Sudanese refugee from Manus Island detention centre has died in the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital after being airlifted to Australia for urgent treatment.

Key points: Faysal Ishak Ahmed was flown to Brisbane from Manus Island after collapsing and sustaining head injuries

Faysal Ishak Ahmed was flown to Brisbane from Manus Island after collapsing and sustaining head injuries Mr Ahmed had suffered numerous blackouts and collapses over past few months

Mr Ahmed had suffered numerous blackouts and collapses over past few months Refugee Action Coalition spokesman says case throws a "stark light" on failures of Manus detention centre's medical provider

The department released a statement confirming the man, named as Faysal Ishak Ahmed by the Refugee Action Coalition (RAC), suffered a fall and a seizure and had subsequently died in the Brisbane hospital.

RAC spokesman Ian Rintoul said Mr Ahmed was flown to Brisbane from Manus Island on Friday afternoon.

"The Department is not aware of any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and expresses its sympathies to his family and friends," the statement said.

Mr Rintoul said it was not yet clear whether the emergency was a result of Mr Ahmed's head injuries or because of "underlying medical conditions that led to his collapse".

He said Mr Ahmed had suffered numerous blackouts and collapses over the past few months and suffered head injuries on Thursday night when he collapsed inside Oscar compound at the Manus detention centre.

The case had once more thrown a "stark light" on the failures of International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) — the medical provider servicing the Manus detention centre, he said.

Faysal collapsed inside the detention centre's Oscar compound, the RAC says. ( Supplied: Ian Rintoul )

Mr Rintoul said Mr Ahmed had made numerous complaints to Border Force and IHMS because of a lack of treatment.

"Only last week, more than 60 Manus refugees signed a complaint letter regarding IHMS's failure to properly treat the refugee," he said.

Queensland coroner Terry Ryan is investigating the death of 24-year-old Hamid Khazaei, who died in Brisbane's Mater Hospital on September 5, 2014, 13 days after presenting to the Manus Island clinic in August 2014.

Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled in April that Australia's detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island was illegal.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed in August the Manus Island detention centre would be closed, but that no timeline had been set for the closure.

Australia and the United States reached an agreement in November for a one-off refugee resettlement deal for people held in detention by Australia on Manus Island and Nauru.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the US State Department's bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration said the bureau was not in a position to speculate on how president-elect Donald Trump would react to the deal after taking office.