MSF Says Forced To Leave Nauru, Describes Refugees' Mental Health As 'Beyond Desperate'

MSF Says Forced to Leave Nauru, Describes Refugees' Mental Health as 'Beyond Desperate'

The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical humanitarian organization said in a press release on Wednesday that its staff has been forced to stop providing psychological and psychiatric services on Nauru island in the western Pacific.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2018) The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical humanitarian organization said in a press release on Wednesday that its staff has been forced to stop providing psychological and psychiatric services on Nauru island in the western Pacific.

"Five days after being informed by the government of Nauru that our presence was no longer required, Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) can confirm it has officially been forced to terminate its provision of mental health care services on Nauru and all its international staff have now left the island," the press release read.

The medical charity said it was concerned about the well-being of its patients and described the mental health situation of refugees and asylum seekers on the island as "beyond desperate."

The MSF started providing "one door for all" mental care services in Nauru in late 2017 under the agreement with the local Health Ministry after identifying "concerning levels" of depression as well as cases of schizophrenia and family violence on the island.