The federal government has set up an independent medical review panel to oversee asylum seeker transfers from regional processing centres to Australia and third countries.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday said the new process would give Australians "greater assurance".
"We've always had a medical transfers process but this is about giving Australians greater assurance that people in offshore processing get the right support," he said.
"Operation Sovereign Borders strikes the compassionate balance between stopping the boats and ensuring genuine asylum seekers are recognised and resettled in a safe third country."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed the move was to make sure asylum seekers get the right support. Source: AAP
The initiative comes ahead of parliament resuming next week when Labor and crossbench MPs are expected to back an independent bill to give doctors more say in whether or not refugees in offshore detention should be moved to the mainland for medical treatment.
Despite the timing, the coalition government says the creation of the panel is a standalone policy.
The five-member panel consists of a professional nominated by the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, an expert with torture and trauma counselling experience, a nominee of the President of the Australian Medical Association, and two experts nominated by the Department's Chief Medical Officer.
The panel will report to parliament's joint standing committee on migration twice a year.
An inpatient mental health service has also been established at the Pacific International Hospital in Port Moresby, to help asylum seekers sent to the country by the government.
On Sunday it was revealed that no more asylum seeker children will be held on Nauru, with the final four preparing to fly to the US with their families for resettlement.
There are now only single male asylum seekers remaining on the island, 130 of which the government says are not refugees.
