Botched penis enlargement wins asylum seeker entry to Australia

Asylum seeker who botched DIY penis enlargement transferred to Australia for surgery under medevac legislation.

The man arrived by boat in 2013 and was transferred from Christmas Island, above, to PNG.

An asylum-seeker who botched a DIY penis enlargement after injecting himself with palm oil is awaiting surgery in Queensland after he was transferred to Australia under Labor’s medivac legislation.

The Iranian man was transferred to southeast Queensland from Port Moresby last month after a doctor ordered medical treatment in Australia when he experienced swelling, discom­fort and limited function.

The transfer has thrown the legislation, which gives doctors a greater say in the evacuation of sick refugees from offshore detention to the mainland for medical treatment, back into the spotlight ahead of the government’s bid to repeal the laws.

Under the laws, medical evacuations can be refused on ­national security grounds, or if a person has a serious criminal ­record. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says his powers to block transfers have been drastically curtailed.

The Iranian, in his mid-30s, racked up almost 50 incidents while detained in PNG since 2013, and was arrested for throwing boiling water on a security guard. In ­another incident, he was charged for punching a security officer who confiscated the pornography he was watching, but the magistrate dismissed the case.

Mr Dutton is understood to have approved the transfer ­because of the limited grounds he has under medivac to stop ­accused criminals from coming to Australia when surgery cannot be carried out abroad.

While the initial surgery could cost up to $10,000, taxpayers could face an even larger bill given there is no explicit return mechanism for those who have been transferred under medivac laws.

It is understood the man is engaged in the US resettlement process but has failed to attend numerous appointments.
Former MP Kerryn Phelps, who was one of the architects of the medivac bill, described the leaking of the patient’s confidential medical records as a “shocking breach of ethics”.