Manus Island refugees health in peril, say advocates

8:16 am on 22 November 2017

Advocates who secretly entered the former detention centre on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island say the health of refugees there is in peril.

Refugees on Manus Island

Refugees on Manus Island Photo: Supplied

About 400 men, detained without charge by Australia since 2013, are refusing to move to other facilities on the island despite power, water, food and medication being cut when the centre closed at the end of October.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre's Natasha Blucher entered the detention centre last week with three colleagues.

Ms Blucher said men with chronic health conditions, skin infections and mental illnesses are running out of medication.

"But now there's absolutely no medical attention at all and these health conditions and mental health conditions are escalating very, very dangerously," she said.

"And when you're looking at 400 men in a camp with no running water trying to use very limited facilities, that were limited in the first place even when the camp was running, the hygiene conditions are appalling," she said.

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