reported that in many cases they were not provided with necessary health care, in contravention of the law (Art. 19(1), 2013/33/EU). An analysis of data of the MoMA regarding presence of medical staff in camps at the end of December 2023 indicates that across 27 mainland reception facilities there were an average of 102 residents for every medical staff member¹⁴⁶. According to the Ministry’s data, in Corinth camp there were 706 residents for every medical staff member. Interviews indicated that provision of primary healthcare was inadequate across all facilities due to a range of factors including lack of medical staff, lack of interpreters for medical appointments, medicine shortages and the financial burden of having to pay for prescriptions. Lack of sufficient numbers of medical staff led to severe restrictions on access to healthcare in Corinth and Ritsona camps. Residents reported relying on CSOs operating in the vicinity of the camps, to provide basic healthcare or facilitate appointments in hospitals (however see Methodology section regarding lack of CSOs operating close to the most remote camps). One respondent living in Corinth reported that there was no doctor in the facility whilst another stated that the doctor visited just two times per week, although they were unsure if this was a state- or CSO-provided doctor. In Katsikas camp one respondent reported that he had the impression there was no doctor on site. In Lagkadikia and Kavala camps, medical personnel reportedly used Google Translate to communicate with camp residents, which did not facilitate effective communication between residents and health teams. At Oinofyta camp interviewees reported that there were two medical staff members but no interpreters. In Serres, there was no Kurmanji interpreter at the time of interviews (May-June 2024) despite this being the language of the majority of the camp population, a situation which was already noted by the Ombudsperson following their visit in December 2023¹⁴⁷. Other key issues related to health provision in the camp were medicine shortages and the burden placed on residents to pay for prescriptions. One interviewee in Kavala reported that they relied on other families to share medicines as they could not afford to pay for them. Residents in Lagkadikia resorted to sharing the limited medicines they had due to the impossibility of buying them on the low financial assistance provided by the authorities. Several respondents reported difficulties accessing secondary health care for more complex health conditions. As noted by the Ombudsperson¹⁴⁸, health teams in camps do not generally include specialists, meaning residents have to book an appointment at a hospital to access follow up treatment. Hospital appointments were difficult to access for most respondents who needed them, due to long waiting times, lack of accessible transport options or lack of interpreters provided by the camp or hospital to translate during appointments. In some cases respondents indicated that staff in camp medical units were not proactive in helping them to book an appointment for specialist treatment in a hospital or clinic outside the camp. A 21 year old man in Kavala reported that he had not managed to get medical attention for severe back pain during his eight month stay in the camp, reportedly being told by the medical staff that it was not possible to book an appointment in a hospital. Another man in Kavala, from Sierra Leone, reported that he had not received treatment for a condition which impacted his mobility and caused severe pain, despite visiting the medical unit on several occasions and requesting an appointment in a hospital. One resident in Kavala camp reported that they developed a skin condition as a result of bed bugs in their container but were not supported by the medical unit to book a dermatologist appointment outside of the camp. 32