The BBC reports that immigrant children held in UK detention centers are not getting the medical care they need, a leading medical journal warns.  An editorial in the UK’s Lancet says the 2,000 children held each year miss out on vaccinations and highlights concerns raised about individual cases. A new Immigration and Citizenship Bill proposed for next year should rule out routine detention of children in the future. The Home Office disputes the claim, saying that all children receive the care they need.

Many of the children are from families who have been refused asylum or have overstayed their visas, while some are asylum seekers or are detained on arrival because they have no identification papers.   Families can be taken from their homes with no time to pack even essential medicines and clothes.   The Lancet says children there are 'essentially imprisoned with little to do, and provided with inadequate education and health care'. They can often miss out on routine jabs which would protect them against diseases such as measles or meningitis - but then be returned to countries where those diseases are prevalent and are a common cause of death.

The Lancet adds: “These appalling failures in the health care of children in detention centers are the ultimate responsibility of the UK Home Office. They are in marked contrast to the UK government's global health strategy, Health is Global, which emphasizes the government's responsibility to improve the health of people across the world, and in particular people in the UK.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office's UK Border Agency rejected the criticisms.
She told the BBC that although she was unable to comment on individual cases: “If a child is in our care and requires medical treatment of any kind we will ensure the child will receive that care.  Our centres have been praised by independent monitors and our medical care is as good as on the NHS. There is 24-hour nursing care, doctors on call night and day, and access to social workers and dentists.”

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This month, the Taiwanese Yuan approved an amendment that greatly eases the restrictions of immigrant families, The Taipei Times reports.  The legislation approved by the Executive Yuan, greatly relaxes regulations on residency applications for both parents and children of immigrants.

Under the current regulations on dependents’ residency applications, the government only issues Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) to the underage dependents of foreigners if their parents or grandparents hold household registration, residency or permanent residency status.  The current regulation does not allow foreigners’ children over the age of 20 or their parents to apply for residency through their family members.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said the amendment was proposed to create a 'humanitarian and friendly living environment' for foreigners.   The amendment was also part of the Cabinet’s effort to attract talent from abroad to work in Taiwan, Liu said, adding that he hoped the bill would clear the legislative floor by the end of the current session. 

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