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The Refugee Health Network of Australia: towards national collaboration on health care for refugees

Christine B Phillips, Mitchell M Smith, Margaret Kay and Sue Casey
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (4): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03276.x
Published online: 15 August 2011

Until now, services have been poorly coordinated and individual practitioners unsupported

Each year Australia accepts around 14 000 refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands as a result of war and other traumatic events. The majority of these new arrivals have been assessed and granted permanent humanitarian visas offshore. Only a minority arrive by boat or aeroplane to seek asylum here.1 Among resettlement countries, Australia makes a significant contribution to the international effort, and our refugee settlement support services are laudable. However, we struggle at times to provide accessible and responsive health care services for refugees.


  • 1 Companion House Medical Service, Canberra, ACT.
  • 2 School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
  • 3 Discipline of General Practice, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.
  • 4 Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Melbourne, VIC.



  • 1. Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Fact Sheet 60 — Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program. Canberra: DIAC, 2009. http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/60refugee.htm (reviewed Mar 2011; accessed Apr 2011).
  • 2. Burnett A, Peel M. Asylum seekers and refugees in Britain: health needs of asylum seekers and refugees. BMJ 2001; 322: 544–547.
  • 3. Tiong ACD, Patel MS, Gardiner J, et al. Health issues in newly arrived African refugees attending general practice clinics in Melbourne. Med J Aust 2006; 185: 602-606. <MJA full text>
  • 4. Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases. Diagnosis, management and prevention of infection in recently arrived refugees. Sydney: Dreamweaver, 2009. http://www.asid.net.au/downloads/RefugeeGuidelines.pdf (accessed May 2011).
  • 5. Smith MM. Refugees in Australia: changing faces, changing needs [editorial]. Med J Aust 2006; 185: 587-588. <MJA full text>
  • 6. Sypek S, Clugston G, Phillips C. Critical health infrastructure for refugee resettlement in rural Australia: case study of four rural towns. Aust J Rural Health 2008; 16: 349-354.
  • 7. Johnson DR, Ziersch AM, Burgess T. I don’t think general practice should be the frontline: experiences of general practitioners working with refugees in South Australia. ANZ Health Policy 2008; 5: 20.
  • 8. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Refugee and humanitarian issues: Australia’s response, June 2009. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2009. http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/refugee/ref-hum-issues/ref-hum-issues-june09.htm (accessed Jul 2011).
  • 9. Bird S. Failure to use an interpreter. Aust Fam Physician 2010; 39: 241-242.
  • 10. Benson J, Kay M, Phillips C. The prevalence of Vitamin B12 deficiency in newly arrived refugees in Australia [presentation]. Canadian Refugee Health Conference; 2011 Jun 1-3; Toronto, Canada.

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