- 49 86. The directors of the pre-departure and holding facilities visited voiced their concern about the continued funding of health-care posts, recounting that in the course of 2012 they had themselves been forced to seek local solutions when no health-care team was provided. In this regard, the CPT understands that the provision of a health-care team by the Ministry of Health is partly dependent on funding by the European Union Return Fund. The CPT would like to receive clarification as regards the funding of health-care services in immigration detention centres. 87. The importance of medical screening of irregular migrants on admission to a detention centre cannot be overstated. 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. Blood tests for transmissible diseases (blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.) should be carried out as part of the screening. In the pre-departure centres visited, such screening was not systematically occurring. For example, at the Paranesti centre, new arrivals were only asked a few questions but no physical examination was carried out nor any blood tests taken. The situation was not much better at the Amygdaleza centre. Only at the Xanthi centre were all detained persons seen within 24 hours of arrival, a personal history taken and blood tests carried out, as required. The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities pursue their efforts to ensure that every newly-arrived detainee is properly interviewed and physically examined by a medical doctor or by a fully qualified nurse reporting to a doctor, as soon as possible after his/her admission to a pre-departure centre or special holding facility. 7. Other issues 88. The vast majority of detained persons met by the CPT’s delegation appeared to have no understanding of their legal situation or what would happen at the end of the period of detention. The only information they possessed was a paper in the Greek language from the Hellenic Police Aliens Department which informed them that, in accordance with the relevant legislation, they had been detained for six months (where it concerned a deportation decision) or three months (where it concerned a return decision) which could be extended in both cases up to a maximum of 18 months. However, as regards the three monthly reviews before the administrative court for those detained under Law 3907/2011, the decision to extend detention was usually taken based upon a proposal from the Hellenic Police Aliens Department. Detained persons were rarely represented by a lawyer and usually only learnt about the review once they were handed a paper informing them that the period of detention had been extended by three months. In deportation cases, the detention measure could be challenged before the administrative court but the extension of detention was decided by the Hellenic Police.