London Social workers told the conference, which is being held at Mildmay Hospital in East London, that refugees with HIV and Aids or with a disability needed special medical care and assistance. They added that patients with these conditions needed regular medical supervision, special diets, psychological help and good social support. But they said the current dispersal policy meant many individuals were being placed in unsuitable areas with sub-standard accommodation and were unable to get the medical help they needed. Utter chaos' Derek Lennard, a social worker and counsellor at Mildmay, and chairman of the conference, criticised the current policy. The position at present is utter chaos and confusion for asylum seekers especially if they are HIV positive or have a disability.
Current provision is in disarray.
We hope this conference will help pool information to provide recommendations for the best way forward. He said people with HIV and Aids needed to get proper medical care. It is not the fault of the asylum seekers if they become terminally ill. If that were you, seperated from the rest of your family and community, unable to return to your country and absolutely penniless, you would want someone to do the humane thing and support you in your time of need. There is a problem with asylum seekers getting the treatment they need if they are dispersed to areas where they may find it hard to access medical treatment.