- 68 115. Detained persons complained about the lack of information about their future, the
insufficient supply of hygiene and cleaning products and that they were not able to shave. Some
also alleged that they had to urinate in plastic bottles at night as staff apparently did not respond to
calls by detainees to be granted access to the toilets. Most detainees were granted outdoor exercise
for one hour a day during weekdays, but not at weekends, while some stated that they were allowed
to go to the concrete yard only twice a week, for some 45 minutes. No purposeful activities were
offered to detainees.
116. As regards health care, the CPT’s delegation was informed that, after three months of
absence, medical teams from KEELPNO were again visiting the establishment since 7 April 2015:
usually, a doctor came for a few hours a day during weekdays, sometimes accompanied by a nurse,
and a doctor was on call during weekends. Recently, a psychiatrist had also started visiting the
establishment twice a week.79 However, access to a doctor was not prompt and detainees usually
had to wait several days.
The delegation met several detainees who required close medical attention, including cases
of scabies, tuberculosis, or hepatitis B and C. One detainee with diabetes reported that he did not
receive any medication, as he had no money to pay for it. He complained of severe pain and
numbness in his lower limbs and that he had to urinate some six to seven times during the night,
which prevented him from sleeping.
Further, the delegation interviewed several persons who required psychiatric care and some
persons who had attempted to commit suicide, four of whom were held in the isolation wing. None
of the persons had received appropriate care and there was no appropriate procedure in place from
preventing persons from attempting to commit suicide; yet, according to the information provided
by staff, suicide attempts and self-harm incidents occurred frequently.
A migrant from Libya was found in a particularly serious condition, when interviewed by
one of the delegation’s medical doctors. According to his medical records, he suffered from a
behavioural disorder due to his dependence on cannabis and from epileptic crises. Although the
need for an urgent neurological assessment was reiterated on three occasions after his arrival at
Petrou Ralli on 4 February, he was only granted access to a psychiatrist one month later and had
still not been seen by a neurologist at the time of the visit. Further, he was not given any medication
for most of the time he was held there. As a consequence, he attempted to commit suicide and was
taken to a psychiatric hospital on 26 March, where he was kept overnight for treatment. He was
hospitalised on three more occasions in April, the last time on 18 April where he received an
injection, since when he had felt dizzy.
This example shows a clear lack of an integrated approach in the delivery of health care at
Petrou Ralli holding facility, the poor mental health-care services available, the lack of medical
screening upon arrival, long delays in the delivery of health-care and the lack of medication and its
intermittent application for persons who are not in a position to purchase the prescribed medication.
Moreover, the CPT has serious reservations as regards the lack of medical confidentiality: for
example, the ordinary custody registers listed information on the medical condition of detainees
(such as “scabies”, “tuberculosis” or “AIDS”), non-medical staff were charged with the distribution
of the available medication, and custodial officers were keeping the key giving access to the
medical room and thus had unlimited access to the poorly kept medical records of detainees.
79
Further, social workers and psychologists saw detainees to assess their needs or provide basic information.
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