'Invasive' exams affected women from 10 flights says Australia

Australia's foreign ministry says it believes women on 10 different flights were subjected to invasive examinations before flying out of Qatar.

The women were checked for signs of having recently given birth after a newborn baby was found abandoned in a toilet at Hamad airport in Doha.

The searches on 2 October became known this week when Australians spoke out. Other foreign nationals were affected.

Australia said Qatari officials were "appalled" by the events.

Australia has raised concerns with Qatar's government over the "grossly disturbing" events. The Middle East nation is yet to publicly respond.

But a senior Australian official said Qatari officials are working with Australia and "two or three" other unidentified countries.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Wednesday she was still waiting to receive a detailed report from Qatari officials on what had occurred at the airport.

She revealed to a parliament hearing that 18 Australian citizens had been examined - an updated figure on the 13 female passengers revealed on Monday who had been affected on a Qatar Airways flight to Sydney.

All of the adult women, who had boarded the plane, were ordered to disembark and most of them were then body-searched, some later told Australian media.

They were taken to an ambulance on the tarmac and told to remove their underwear before being examined.

Australia's foreign department secretary Frances Adamson told the same Senate hearing on Wednesday that an Australian diplomatic official had been on the flight heading to Sydney.

She was not subjected to the exam, but reported it back to the ministry immediately.

"I was incredulous that this could have happened," Ms Adamson told the Senate.

She added: "This is not- by any standard - normal behaviour and the Qataris recognise that, are appalled by it, do not want it to happen again."

The Australian government has previously referred to the matter as one where the treatment of the women was "beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent".

Australia has referred the matter to its federal police, but says will wait to hear back from Qatar officials before taking any further steps.

The unidentified baby has been cared for by medical and social workers since being found, said the airport in Doha.

Hamad International Airport released a statement this week that did not provide details of the examinations or women affected.

The airport said it had acted on the advice of medical professionals to try and find the mother of the newborn before she departed.

"Individuals who had access to the specific area of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the query," the airport said in a statement.