- 61 At Thiva Prison, the health care team was limited to one qualified nurse and four prison officers with some nursing qualifications, all of whom worked 12 hour shifts; in addition, there was a dentist and a psychologist, and visits by a number of specialists once a week for a couple of hours ( two general practitioners, a paediatrician, a psychiatrist and a gynaecologist). However, the attendance by the paediatrician was sporadic and many mothers complained they had not been able to see him for months. There was also a need for more psychiatric input. Moreover, due to the lack of a full-time doctor, many inmates are referred to the hospital in the nearby town of Thiva for consultations. 128. The CPT must stress once again that the provision of adequate levels of qualified health care staff is a prerequisite for implementing a proper health care strategy in prison, capable of catering to the specific medical needs present within a prison population. The CPT has already recommended that the general state of health care services in prisons be reexamined (see paragraph 125 above). As regards more specifically the prisons visited, the Committee recommends, as an initial measure, that steps be taken immediately to reinforce health care staffing levels in order to ensure: - at Korydallos Women’s Remand Prison, the recruitment of a full-time general practitioner to oversee the delivery of health care services and of qualified nurses, one of whom should be a qualified mental health nurse; - at Chios Prison, the recruitment of at least one qualified nurse; - at Malandrino Prison, the recruitment of additional qualified nurses, one of whom should be a qualified mental health nurse, and the provision of specialist medical care on a regular basis, the most urgent need being for a psychiatrist and the equivalent of a full-time dentist; - at Patras Prison, the recruitment of additional qualified nurses, one of whom should be a qualified mental health nurse, and the provision of a visiting psychiatrist; - at Thessaloniki Prison, the recruitment of additional qualified nurses, one of whom should be a qualified mental health nurse; - at Thiva Prison, the recruitment of the equivalent of a full-time general practitioner and the recruitment of additional qualified nurses, one of whom should be a qualified mental health nurse. Further, as regards Amfissa Prison, the Committee recommends that an assessment of the health care service be carried out immediately. 129. The delegation received many complaints from prisoners about access to health care services and on the quality of the care received, particularly at Amfissa, Korydallos Men’s and Patras Prisons. Particular concerns were also raised about effective access to emergency medical services at night, when staffing complements were even lower than during the day and prison staff were apparently reluctant to open cell/dormitory doors; that is, on those occasions when the calls for assistance were actually heard by staff.