A SIMSA member Still Waiting for her VISA to Australia for Medical Treatment.

A local third year medical student studying at the Fiji School of Medicine (FSM) in Suva, Fiji has been left crippled while waiting for the past three months to get an entry visa into Australia for medical treatment at Saint Vincent hospital.

A woman believed to be a close relative of the female student told The Solomon Star yesterday the student was in her third year of study at FSM.

The sick student who could not be named is a government funded student and has about four more years to complete her studies.

The woman who wants to be called Bubily said the girl felt ill last year after returning from Fiji for her end year vacation.

“After this girl came back from Fiji for her holidays she was seriously ill and was recommended by doctors at the national referral hospital to seek further treatment at Saint Vincent hospital in Australia in late December last year,” she said.

But three months on, there was no response on her visa application.

No reason was given by the Australian immigration department on the delay.

Ms Bibily said the girl has waited for three months now along with other six patients to go to Saint Vincent for treatment.

“But still no news was heard to when they would be traveling to receive their treatment,” she said.

Ms Bubily said they were promised to travel in January or as soon as formalities from Saint Vincent hospital immigrations were completed.

“Relatives of the girl were confused with what is really going on because already they have received an approval letter from Saint Vincent hospital,” the woman said.

Ms Bubily said the only thing left before the patients were sent to Australia was for their visas to be processed.

She said currently the girl is now badly affected by her illness because of the long wait.

“The girl is now crippled and depended on morphine for pain relief,” Ms Bubily said.

Because of such delay she urged relevant authorities should improve the system of sending patients overseas for medical treatment.

“Responsible authorities should work out ways to allow sick patients to speed up their paper and immigration formalities for them to get treatment overseas,” she said.

She stressed if politicians can fly to Saint Vincent hospital for treatment within hours then the same treatment should be applied to ordinary sick people.

“The girl is one of the government assets because she is studying medicine and also a Government sponsored student.”

Ms Bubily said referral medical patients for overseas treatment should be treated differently from normal people because their life is at risk especially when it comes to visa processing.

The relatives of the girl have appealed to the Australian government to see the plight of the girl and address it as soon as possible.

An officer from the Australia High Commission Immigration section yesterday said visa processing for medical cases have to be processed in Sydney, Australia.

The officer said patients usually get their medical visas depending on the conditions of their illness.
 

“Sick people who were referred to Australia for treatment must have a letter from their hospital doctor and also a letter from the doctor they will be seeing when in Australia,” the officer said.

Source: Solomon Star