10 September, Tuesday, 2024
No menu items!
HomeSourcesmirror.co.ukAsylum seeker with TB told to move onto Bibby Stockholm barge, as...

Asylum seeker with TB told to move onto Bibby Stockholm barge, as crossings hit 100,000

A doctor treating the tuberculosis patient warned of a ‘public health catastrophe’ as the Home Office came under pressure to explain why it’s not managed to stop Channel crossings

An asylum seeker with tuberculosis has been told they are set to be moved onto the Bibby Stockholm barge. Other migrants to be put on the vessel include those waiting for surgery and mental health support.

A doctor treating the TB patient warned of a “public health catastrophe”. It mounts pressure on the Home Office to assure the barge’s safety with concerns already rife about potential outbreaks of diseases such as scabies and diphtheria, which have been detected in other migrant accommodation.

Dr Dominik Metz, a GP for more than 250 asylum seekers in Oxfordshire, told the i newspaper one of his patients who is under “active treatment” for latent TB is to be housed on the Bibby Stockholm. In total, 10 of his patients have received letters from the Home Office notifying them they are to be moved to the barge, which is docked in Portland Port in Dorset. He said the department is unable to access medical records so are not aware of people’s conditions before they are transferred.

Dr Metz warned against relocating sufferers as he said latent TB can become active – and contagious – if treatment is interrupted. “It’s extremely disruptive for patients but also extremely wasteful in terms of NHS resources,” he added. “If they’ve been through a process already and been seen by specialists, that’s going to get disrupted. There’s also potential public health implications if treatment for TB is stopped part way through.”

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments