Migrants held in crisis-hit Manston centre 'are being DENIED access to doctors and medication', charities claim after death of asylum seeker staying at Kent base

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Migrants being held in the crisis-hit Manston centre 'are being denied access to doctors and medication', charities have claimed following the death of an asylum seeker who was staying at the Kent base. 

Charities and advocates for refugees are now calling for 'urgent action' from the Home Office to overhaul the immigration system after a man staying at the immigration processing centre died on Saturday morning. 

The man, who has not been named, is said to have arrived in the UK on November 12 and was taken straight to hospital.

He was later discharged and taken to Manston, near the port of Dover in Kent, The Telegraph reports.

On Friday, he became ill and sadly passed away in hospital the following morning. Efforts are underway to inform the man's next of kin, it is understood. 

Refugee charities and the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have led calls for an investigation and urgent reform of the UK's 'inhumane' immigration system. 

Care4Calais founder Clare Moseley said: 'Our condolences are with the family and friends of this man.

'Refugees we are supporting who have recently been released from Manston have told us they were denied access to doctors and medication.

'We continue to have concerns about the health facilities at the centre.'

MailOnline has contacted the Home Office over the allegations put forward by the charity. 

The man who died, who has not been named, is said to have arrived in the UK on November 12. He became ill on Friday and passed away in hospital the following morning. Pictured: Ambulances were seen parked inside the centre today following the man's death

Refugee charities and the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have led calls for an investigation and urgent reform of the UK's 'inhumane' immigration system. Pictured: Officials seen at Manston today

The immigration centre, designed to be stayed at for no more than 48 hours, is currently home to many vulnerable asylum seekers fleeing war or persecution, including women and children. Pictured: Manston today following the death of an asylum seeker yesterday

Meanwhile, Freedom From Torture, which provides psychological support to asylum seekers, called for a 'compassionate asylum system'.

It posted on Twitter: 'We've said it before: this Government's cruelty to refugees isn't accidental - it's the whole point.

'We need a compassionate asylum system that works. NOW.'

Inquest, which supports bereaved families following a death in state care, has called for an independent investigation into the death and an overhaul of the system.

It posted: 'It feels as if it was only a matter of time before a death like this happened in this completely closed facility.

'We need urgent action on Manston, independent investigation of this death & an overhaul of this inhumane immigration system.'

A Home Office spokesperson said there was 'no evidence at this stage to suggest that this tragic death was caused by an infectious disease'. 

Meanwhile, Freedom From Torture, which provides psychological support to asylum seekers, called for a 'compassionate asylum system' following the death of a man at Manston

They added: 'We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and provide 24/7 health facilities with trained medical staff at Manston.' 

The news follows weeks of controversies around conditions at immigration centres in the UK, especially at Manston.

The immigration centre, designed to be stayed at for no more than 48 hours, is currently home to many vulnerable asylum seekers fleeing war or persecution, including women and children.

New figures obtained by the charity Refugee Council showed the scale of a huge backlog in asylum applications, including 155 children who have been waiting for an initial decision on their case for more than five years. 

The Home Office said in a statement: 'A person staying at our Manston facility has sadly died in hospital this morning after becoming unwell. We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected. 

Migrants being held in the crisis-hit Manston centre (pictured) 'are being denied access to doctors and medication', charities have claimed following the death of an asylum seeker who was staying there

Asylum seekers were moved from the 'inhumane' Manston processing centre earlier this month after it was branded a 'filthy prison' by residents

In recent weeks there have been reports of serious infections at Manston including diptheria and scabies

'We take the safety of those in our care extremely seriously and are profoundly saddened by this event. 

'A post-mortem examination will take place so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.'

In recent weeks there have been reports of serious infections at Manston including diptheria and scabies, but the government says it does not believe that was the cause of death.

It was revealed last week that the government is to vaccinate people within the centre against diptheria after several cases were detected there. 

A post mortem is set to take place at a later date and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has been notified. 

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said there will need to be a 'full investigation' into the incident. 

The Labour MP said: 'We send deepest condolences to the family of the man who has died after staying at Manston. 

'There will need to be a full investigation into what has happened in this tragic case.' 

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: 'Every person in Manston must be looked after with the care and attention they need, so when a tragic death likes this takes place it is always a matter of serious concern.

'It is vital that a thorough and speedy investigation takes place to understand what happened and whether all the necessary procedures were followed.'

Manston is one of the main processing centres designed to hold migrants until more suitable accommodation can be found

The Manston centre was designed to hold people who had arrived in the UK via small boat crossings for just a couple of days while they were processed and alternative accommodation was found.

But despite being built to house up to 1,600 people at once, by the end of October there were more than 4,000 people there - including young families who had been at the centre more than 30 days.

There were reports of awful conditions at the site, with families left to sleep on the floor for weeks due to a lack of beds.

Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers were moved from the 'inhumane' Manston processing centre after it was branded a 'filthy prison' by residents who said they caught scabies, had their phones and cigarettes 'confiscated' and were 'forced to sleep on the floor'.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) said there will need to be a 'full investigation' into the incident

The former RAF base in Kent, which re-opened as an immigration centre in January, was initially designed to hold up to 1,600 people for no more than 48 hours, but instead became a temporary home to almost 4,000 migrants, leading to outbreaks of diphtheria, scabies, MRSA and violence.

Many of those staying there are women and children and are believed to come from Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, but one claims they were treated more like 'animals in a zoo'.

In a message delivered to media photographers by a young child at the centre, those inside claimed they were living in horrific circumstances and felt as if they were 'in prison'.

It further alleged that those in the centre, including young children, were not allowed outside and that pregnant women were not being cared for.

It led to government minister Grant Shapps warning the centre could easily tip into unlawful conditions.

Following the revelations, Home Office staff faced a scramble to book hotels to house some of those at Manston, which culminated in a mix-up in which a group of migrants and asylum seekers were left at Victoria Station with no idea where they were and no place to go.

They were assisted by homeless charities before Home Office officials eventually arrived to pick them up and return them to the centre.

Many of those staying there are women and children and are believed to come from Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, but one claims they were treated more like 'animals in a zoo'

The issues at Manston are thought to be partly down to a massive backlog in processing of asylum applications, which a Parliamentary report says is down to antiquated IT systems, high staff turn-over, and too few staff.

Charity Refugee Council revealed new figures this week obtained via Freedom of Information requests this week that showed the number of people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claim has quadrupled in just five years.

In December 2017 the figure stood at 29,522. In June this year it was 122,206. 

CEO Enver Solomon said: 'Immediate action should be taken to address the huge backlog of men, women and children stuck in limbo while waiting years for a decision on their asylum claim, costing millions of pounds a day accommodating them in often poor quality hotels.

Last month Home Secretary Suella Braverman (pictured) branded the asylum system in the UK 'broken' - receiving fierce backlash from the opposition who said she was partly to blame

'These people came to the UK in search of safety, but they are being condemned to years of worry and uncertainty, with a grave toll on their mental health, instead of being able to put down roots in their new community and rebuild their lives.

'There are clear steps this government could take immediately to address this situation – we are keen to work constructively to help it do so. The untold human misery this situation causes is simply unsustainable, while the cost on the public purse stretches beyond £2bn a year.

'Without putting in place a dedicated case resolution taskforce to quickly clear the backlog there is likely to be another appalling episode, as recently seen at the Manston centre, in the coming year.

'We urgently need to move to a fair, orderly and compassionate asylum system that always sees the face behind the case and deals with claims in a timely and effective manner.'

Last month Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded the asylum system in the UK 'broken' - receiving fierce backlash from the opposition who said she was partly to blame.