B. Infrastructure Facilities - Living conditions As regards detention in the Pre-removal Centers for third-country nationals (PROKEKA), the Ombudsman had noted back in 2014 the fragmentary manner in which basic services were provided, such as a doctor, nurses, as well as services that are closely linked with efficient medical care, such as the services of a psychologist, social worker and interpreter. There is provision for these services in the detention centers, but they are only implemented on an occasional basis, because they depend on tenders which present very long time gaps. This issue is linked to the general problem of the stable funding of the Pre-removal Centers with the use of funds from the ordinary national programme that had been approved for Greece in the summer of 2015 by the AMIF.170 3.3. Health services during detention The Ombudsman, during visits, found that contracted doctors of the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention provided services during 2016 both in the Pre-removal Center of Corinth and the Pre-removal Center of Tavros (Athens) The coverage however by a general practitioner and a nurse in a detention center such as the one in Tavros cannot be considered adequate. Corinth, which has a very high population of detainees (around 700 people), is also covered with the visits of a psychiatrist, but the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention does not have a daily presence, but only 3 mornings a week. Filling in a health card for each detainee, as required by the Rules of Operation of the Preremoval Centers,171 and their systematic medical monitoring are still to be met in detention sites where the responsibility for the protection of the person’s health lies primarily with the state. The fact that they are centers where detainees are constantly on the move, such as the PROKEKA of Tavros, which is the site for the initial gathering of the detained population under the jurisdiction of the Aliens Police Division of Attica, render even more difficult the provision of medical care, especially when the transferred individuals’ medical history is not available. The living conditions in the Detention Centers also give rise to questions regarding the further exacerbation especially of the mental health of the third-country nationals from the long-term detention, in combination with the uncertainty about their future and their inadequate information. The Ombudsman notes that the concentration especially of patients with contagious diseases, such as AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C in a dedicated wing of the building on P. Ralli Str (Athens) needs to be further investigated. A concern is also created from the doctor’s standard assurance towards the members of the Independent Authority carrying out the external monitoring of the return operations starting from this center, that the patients included in the operations are not active carriers of diseases. It should be finally noted that the Ombudsman had already recommended since 2014172 for administrative detainees that the level of medical care must be proportionate to that of the rest of the population, on the analogy of the Penitentiary Code (Article 27). The Rules of Operation of the Detention Centers in early 2015 limited the provision of services to the “necessary” medical and pharmaceutical care. The law, especially for asylum seeking173 detainees refers to the appropriate medical care. The Ombudsman sent a detailed opinion to the Ministry of Migration Policy on the draft law that was put to consultation in October 2016 regarding the reception of the applicants for international protection (Directive 2013/33/EU (recast), 29.6.13). The Ombudsman noted among other things that the health, including mental health, of applicants in detention shall be of primary concern to national authorities, according to Article 11(1) of the Directive. Also, in Article 19 of the Directive, the necessary medical care includes at minimum the urgent health care and the necessary treatment for diseases and serious mental disorders, as well as the provision to applicants in need of special care of the necessary medical or other assistance, including mental health care, where needed. The relevant draft law for the reception of the applicants for international protection was not however submitted to Parliament. It is further noted that the shortage in interpreters puts at risk the correct provision of health services to the detainees. A related problem is the inconsistent provision of pharmaceutical products and the coverage of the relevant amounts either with an occasional expenditure coverage or through the sponsorships of associations, NGOs, etc. 170 See Annual Report 2015, pg. 129. 171 Article 12 of JMD 8038/23/22-ιγ/2015 (Government Gazette Β 118/211-2015). 54 172 See Annual Report 2014, pg. 154. 173 Article 46(10)(d) of Law 4375/2016.