Majority of people brought from Manus Island and Nauru through the government’s own referral system, which previously ignored cases for up to five years

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

More than 40 people have been transferred to Australia for urgent medical treatment from Manus Island and Nauru since the passing of the medevac laws.

The majority were brought to the mainland under the already existing processes, with 14 going through the new system. No one went to Christmas Island.

The Medical Evacuation Response Group (Merg), which is triaging the refugees and asylum seekers seeking care, said they were receiving an average of about 11 applications a day. Doctors were triaging a daily average of 8.2.

Since the federal election on Saturday there has been a spike in apparent suicide attempts and acts of self-harm among people on Manus Island and Nauru, including at least 12 suicide attempts on Manus Island.

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“We have been working rapidly, and around the clock, to ensure critically ill people are assessed by doctors for transfer as quickly as possible,” said Dr Sara Townend, who is coordinating the doctors.

“After almost six years the demand for assistance with applications has been huge.”

The Merg, which is a coalition of legal, medical and advocacy organisations, said the asylum seekers and refugees still in the two offshore sites were experiencing “a wide range of serious health conditions” six years after they were sent there by the Australian government.

This included people who were acutely suicidal and have serious heart conditions that could not be treated on the island, the group said.

The medevac law has faced several hurdles and criticism, after it was introduced to deal with a medical emergency on the islands, but then did not appear to transfer people immediately. The establishment of independent medical review panel stalled, as the Coalition government delayed approving appointees.

However there appeared to be an increase in the number of approved transfers through the government’s own referral system, which it had been accused of ignoring in a number of cases, sometimes for up to five years. Dozens of transfers only occurred under court order or on agreement after the government faced legal action.

The medevac laws set out conditions by which sick refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island can be transferred to Australia for medical treatment. Even if two or more treating doctors give medical advice that a person needs to be evacuated, the home affairs minister has grounds for refusal on security grounds.

The government resisted the laws but lost the vote in a historic political defeat earlier this year. In response to its passing, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, reopened the Christmas Island detention centre – at a cost later revealed to be $185m – claiming it was needed to manage transfers.

No one has been sent to Christmas Island, where more than 150 staff were hired to bring the centre out of “hot contingency” and to a fully functioning centre with medical staff.

Morrison has maintained his government will repeal the law and close Christmas Island.

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The Nauruan government has enacted new laws which effectively block the medevac process from applying in the country.

The Merg had also faced criticism from some refugees and asylum seekers over an apparent delay in getting people off the islands.

“The medevac bill gives doctors a lifeline to assess sick refugees,” said Townend.

“It doesn’t diminish the responsibility of the Australian government to look after the people in its care. The government has, and continues to have, the power to bring people to Australia for urgent medical care. They are in a position to do this more urgently than the medevac process allows for.”

• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org