RAF Wethersfield: Medecins Sans Frontieres warns of suicidal thoughts among asylum seekers
Medical crisis charity Medecins Sans Frontieres says more than one in three asylum seekers being housed at a former airbase have reported suicidal thoughts.
More than 400 asylum seekers are living at a former airbase in Wethersfield, Essex, with plans to house up to 1,700 people there.
But the "prison-like" conditions are leading to mental and physical deterioration, Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), a charity which provides medical care in warzones, has said.
Dr Javid Abdelmoneim told ITV News Anglia: "Just looking at the people we saw in December, 37% described having suicide ideation, which means they had thoughts about suicide, not necessarily plans."
The British doctor and his small team have been at Wethersfield since September, working with GPs to provide medical care to the hundreds of residents there - many of who are vulnerable.
Dr Abdelmoneim said their lives at Wethersfield were very restricted: they eat meals at certain times of the day, take a shuttle bus into town or walk down a narrow footpath into the village.
He said: "That paints a picture of why it feels isolated, detached from the community.
"Then you add in the asylum process, add in the Rwanda scheme. You start to build this picture of hopelessness, despair, insecurity, isolation.
"The population are from countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea. They've been violated, extorted, kidnapped, persecuted for their ethnicity or background - to then come into this pseudo-military prison [is] just not good for them."
He pointed to the case of an asylum seeker dying by suicide on the Bibby Stockholm barge in December.
Dr Abdelmoneim said the average mental health score of patients can be described as "severe" - under a scientific test called the CORE-10.
He added there were also physical ailments - some men have high cholesterol, diabetes or asthma, but there is very little scope to change their diet within the compound, he said.
There have been reports of violent outbreaks at the former RAF base, with a video showing men punching each other and chairs being thrown in the dining area.
Another charity, Care4Calais has launched legal action against the use of the airbase as an asylum centre.
The charity argues the site does not meet legally required standards and that people housed there are effectively stripped of their liberty.
Another asylum seeker told ITV News the conditions were "like a prison", with food so bad it has made him sick.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We continue to meet our legal obligations and provide accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.
“The accommodation provided meets all relevant housing and health and safety standards.
"All residents at Wethersfield have access to medical support, including mental health support, and a 24/7 helpline provided by Migrant Help is available to raise any concerns.”
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