Most Australian paediatricians believe mandatory detention of asylum seeker children is child abuse, but have poor knowledge of health screening and Medicare eligibility of such children, according to research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

People aged under 20 years represent about 40% of Australia's refugee intake and they have "unique medical, cultural, social and linguistic characteristics".

A questionnaire answered by 139 Australian paediatricians revealed that over 80% agreed with the Australian Medical Association's position that mandatory detention of children constitutes child abuse, and disagreed with offshore processing.

However, less than half of the paediatricians knew which subgroups of asylum seeker children were eligible for Medicare or had had pre-departure HIV and tuberculosis screening, or that the average stay in refugee camps before settlement in Australia was more than 10 years. Only 60% knew that the Minister for Immigration was the legal guardian of detained unaccompanied minors.

"We found gaps in paediatricians' knowledge about Medicare eligibility", Professor David Isaacs, a paediatrician at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Clinical Professor at The University of Sydney, and coauthors wrote.

"Medicare rights are held by all refugees and by asylum seekers who hold bridging visas to which such rights are attached.

"Poor knowledge of hospital fee-waiver programs could limit access to hospital care ... and health professionals might not be referring asylum seekers as they otherwise would", the authors wrote.

"Better knowledge of the pre-visa screening process may help to avoid duplications or omissions and thereby minimise financial and time burdens for patients and their paediatricians."

Australian health care professionals needed better training and education about asylum seekers' rights and processes in order to provide the best health care possible, the researchers concluded.

"Medical practitioners can ensure they have up-to-date knowledge of the health problems common among refugee and asylum seeker patients and develop an awareness of information sources and local services available."

Paediatricians could also be important advocates for their patients' rights, they argued. "All of these children [currently held in detention] should be released from detention immediately, irrespective of their date of arrival", they wrote.