A man left unable to walk and in need of constant care after sustaining serious spinal injuries in Christmas Island's immigration detention centre faces deportation to Fiji, where he says he'll be unable to survive.
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Ritesh Naikar, now 41, slipped and fell onto his back as he walked down stairs that had recently been mopped at 8.30am on December 17, 2017.
He says the detention centre's cleaners failed to put up a sign warning him the floor was wet.
Since that day, Mr Naikar has had three spinal surgeries, spent months in hospital and had numerous emergency admissions. He lives with chronic pain that has left him suicidal.
He's remained in detention in all that time, after first being detained in June 2017 when his visa was cancelled due to domestic violence charges which saw him jailed for three months.
The Fijian man believes a delay by detention centre staff in getting him medical care exacerbated his condition.
As he lay at the bottom of the concrete stairs he felt an intense pain that he thought was a broken leg.
Despite other detainees repeatedly asking staff of detention contractor Serco for assistance, Mr Naikar says he did not get any medical attention for around 10 hours. Around 7pm, he was given Panadol and a wheelchair.
For 10 days, unable to walk, he says he continued to receive only Panadol for his pain. He had to rely on other detainees to help him to the bathroom.
It wasn't until December 27 that a doctor with immigration health contractor IHMS said he should be sent to hospital.
The hospital on the remote island, however, did not have a CT scanner. A week later he was flown to Perth.
Despite a scan showing he had three damaged discs, he was not able to see a specialist until June, who quickly referred him for urgent surgery.
In the meantime, he was unable to walk, used a wheelchair to get around and suffered intermittent faecal incontinence as he was held in Perth's detention centre.
"Lucky I couldn't stand or else I hang myself," Mr Naikar told AAP. "I was in so much pain, I can't tell you how much pain. Sometimes I cry whole day, whole night because of so much pain."
After his second surgery in October 2020, Mr Naikar was prescribed pain medication to take every four hours.
However, he could not take it between 8pm and 8am because the detention centre's health services were not staffed after hours, he says. Mounting pain overnight meant he was rushed to emergency departments numerous times.
After protests from Mr Naikar and his treating doctors, he was finally taken from Perth's detention centre to a hotel which is used for immigration detention in August last year, and provided with a carer.
He has no privacy as a guard sits in his room all the time. His only company is the carer.
After his other efforts to be released in the community failed - including an application for a medical treatment visa - Mr Naikar applied for a protection visa last month.
Since his most recent surgery in July last year, he has again been unable to walk.
His chronic pain and fear of being deported to Fiji have left him with serious mental health challenges, he says.
"I can't sleep," he said. " Sometimes I put the pillow in my face and cry and scream. Sometimes I feel like suicide."
His injury means he would not be able to resume his previous work as a mechanic in Fiji. He has no close family there.
He wants to stay with his sister in Queensland until his condition improves and he can walk unaided.
"If I go back to Fiji I don't know who is going to look after me ... I don't know how can I survive," he said.
"I'm gonna end up on the street.
"It's better I die here ... because the medical conditions in Fiji are very bad."
An Australian Border Force spokesperson told AAP they do not comment on individual cases but that health and safety was its priority.
"Healthcare services for detainees are broadly comparable with those available within the Australian community under the Australian public health system," the spokesperson said.
The ABF must remove people without visas under the law, they said, but people who are deported are provided with support assessed on their individual circumstances.
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Australian Associated Press
