An Australian Medical Association (AMA) official has compared the lives of boat people on Nauru to those who died in gas chambers during the Holocaust.

Doctor Paul Bauert says people living in offshore processing centres are worse off than Jewish people killed in Nazi gas chambers during World War II.

“Even those that finally knew that they were about to be condemned to the gas chamber at least found some sense of relief in knowing what was happening.” – Dr Paul Bauert

The comments have outraged many, including Ben Fordham who can hardly believe his ears.

“Is he really comparing those who have escaped other countries and are living on Narau to those who were gassed to death?”

Well, he said it, and Ben is slamming the doctor for his outrageous claims.

Click PLAY below to hear Dr Bauert’s comments 

“Maybe if you’d been tortured or starved for years on end, then death would be a relief,” says Ben.

“But to compare that to what is happening in Australia, where we’re trying to prevent a repeat of hundreds of people drowning, well, you’ve got to be a lunatic.

“I thought doctors were meant to be smarter than most of us.”

Dr Bauert has since apologised, but Ben Fordham says the comments should “cause major alarm” to the AMA.

“He should not speak on their behalf again.”

The AMA has since released a statement saying they welcome the doctor’s apology.

The AMA welcomes Dr Bauert’s apology. The AMA would never condone comments that seek to compare the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees to the Holocaust.

— AMA Media (@ama_media) February 11, 2019