International aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres said today that it had suspended its services at the detention centres because the conditions there were appalling and inhuman.

MSF Malta coordinator Giuseppe de Mola speaking at a press conference today, complained of poor sanitary conditions and a lack of facilities in many areas of the detention centres, including hot water and clothes. He said that the assessment of migrants in vulnerable condition - such as the young and pregnant women - was taking far too long and the situation was such that people who arrived in a good state of health were deteriorating while in detention.

He said the lack of a pharmacy in detention centres meant that medicines prescribed to immigrants were not delivered on time or at all making it impossible to offer adequate and effective treatment.

Mr de Mola said the lack of a proper isolation area meant that immigrants with infectious diseases were being kept with healthy individuals.

MSF had informed government since October of the critical situation and requested that measures be taken for the issues to be addressed.

Acknowledging that Malta needed EU help to cope with the problem, Mr de Mola insisted, however, that Malta needed to do its part by adhering to international and EU basic reception standards for immigrants.