President of British Medical Association says medical professionals must speak out against cruel, inhumane and unconscionable policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda

In an opinion piece for The BMJ journal yesterday, the president of the British Medical Association (BMA), Martin McKee, has spoken out strongly against the Government's policy of relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Image credit: UK GovernmentMcKee said the policy is cruel, inhumane and unconscionable.

"We are clear that the Rwanda policy is unconscionable on medical, ethical, and humanitarian grounds and we urge ministers to scrap it in favour of a fair and compassionate asylum system that ensures that the rights and humanity of refugees are acknowledged and in line with international obligations," he commented.

The BMA president warned that the policy risks exacerbating mental health conditions for asylum seekers, especially for the many that have already suffered severe physical and mental trauma. By continuing to press ahead with the policy, ministers are adding to the significant harm this is having on people seeking asylum in the UK, the opinion piece added.

McKee said that cruelty is at the heart of the Rwanda policy.

Urging fellow medical professionals to join him in speaking out, McKee stated: "As doctors, committed to alleviating suffering, we cannot stand by while those who claim to represent us act in a way that threatens the health and dignity of our fellow human beings."

While the Government argues that Rwanda will be a safe haven where asylum seekers can rebuild their lives, Martin McKee said this is nonsense and claims made for this policy have been revealed as lies.

He noted: "We were told that the government considered Rwanda a 'fundamentally safe and secure country' even though its own assessment revealed serious concerns about human rights and protection of refugees. We were told that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) supported the scheme when they publicly condemned it."

In September, the BMA's medical ethics committee chair, Jan Wise, said that the Government had a moral duty to end the policy.

Wise said: "It would be difficult to exaggerate the mental health impacts of transferring migrants to Rwanda. Many of those who reach the UK's shores are fleeing appalling violence – in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and a host of other unstable countries. Their departure was traumatic. The journeys many of them make traumatise them further. Having arrived at British shores, believing themselves to be in a place of safety, the psychological impact of transferring them to Rwanda is impossible to imagine. On health and humanitarian grounds we must resist any attempt to offshore those seeking asylum in the UK."

Next Monday (19 December) will be a hugely significant day for the policy, as the High Court is set to hand down its judgment on the legal challenges brought by Care4Calais, Detention Action and the Public & Commercial Services Union (PCS), and separately by Asylum Aid.

Asylum Aid: said on Twitter: "We will confer with our legal team to understand the implications of the judgement, whatever the outcome, on the rights of people seeking asylum in the UK, as well as consider what our next steps might be."