- 64 c. medical screening on admission 134. The CPT is obliged to reiterate the importance of medical screening of prisoners on admission - especially at establishments which represent points of entry into the prison system. Such screening is indispensable, in particular in the interests of identifying those at risk of self harm, screening for communicable diseases and the timely recording of any injuries. In only one of the eight prisons visited (i.e. Thessaloniki Prison) was the medical screening systematically carried out on prisoners on the day of, or day after, their arrival. Many prisoners had not seen a doctor at all while others had had to wait for periods of a week or more, or until they were forced to see the doctor because their symptoms had become severe. Medical and nursing staff at Korydallos Men’s Prison confirmed this state of affairs. Further, in most of the prisons the initial medical examination consisted merely of a few questions; only at Thessaloniki Prison could it be considered as comprehensive. The assertion by the Ministry of Justice, in their response of 25 November 2009 to the delegation’s preliminary observations, that the doctor examines every inmate “no later than the day after admission”, is patently not accurate. Once again, the provision in the legislation does not accord with the real situation on the ground83. The CPT calls upon the Greek authorities to ensure that every newly-arrived prisoner is properly interviewed and physically examined as appropriate by a medical doctor as soon as possible after his admission. Save for exceptional circumstances, that interview should be carried out on the day of admission, especially insofar as remand establishments are concerned. Such initial medical screening on admission could also be performed by a fully qualified nurse reporting to a doctor. d. issues related to transmissible diseases 135. The CPT has stressed in the past that the prison health care service should ensure that educational information about transmissible diseases (in particular hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, dermatological infestations) is regularly circulated, both to prisoners and to prison staff. However, there was still no specific training for the staff nor provision of information to the prisoners on this issue, in the prisons visited. The Committee considers that prison staff should be provided with ongoing training in the preventive measures to be taken and the attitudes to be adopted regarding HIV-positivity, and given appropriate instructions concerning non-discrimination and confidentiality. For example, in Korydallos Women’s Remand Prison, remarks by prison officers made to the delegation’s doctors in relation to a HIV-positive prisoner illustrated a lack of understanding about the disease and a disregard for confidentiality. The CPT reiterates its recommendation that the Greek authorities institute a health information programme in all prisons about transmissible diseases, and that prison staff be given specific training on the issue of transmissible diseases. 83 Article 24, paragraph 1, of the 1999 Prison Law stipulates that at the latest a prisoner should be taken to the doctor “the next working day after his admission”. In the CPT’s view, this provision should be amended to guarantee that all persons entering prison undergo a medical examination within 24 hours, rather than on the first working day following admission, which means that screening may be delayed by two or three days.