Medical Justice

The following information is adapted from the Medical Justice website.

Medical Justice offers essential medical help to those held in immigration detention in the UK.

• About 30,000 people a year are held in indeterminate immigration detention in the UK.
• Many detainees have suffered torture or ill treatment, have significant and chronic health problems, and a few may be pregnant, or have been detained for prolonged periods of time without any prospect of release or removal.
• Being detained indefinitely itself causes serious health problems.
• Many independent reports and legal judgements provide evidence of the inadequate healthcare provided in detention centres, especially for those with mental health problems.

Clinicians volunteering for Medical Justice:

• document detainees’ scars of torture to assist in their asylum claims
• challenge medical mistreatment of those held in detention.

These cases provide the evidence for research, publications and campaigns for lasting improvements for detainees.