90. The CPT has repeatedly stressed the importance of effective medical screening upon arrival for detained foreign nationals. In this regard, it was good practice that in some pre-removal detention centres visited, detained foreign nationals were regularly sent to the local hospital for screening of infectious diseases (including TB) or dermatological problems (including scabies). However, even in these centres, such screening was not systematically carried out for all persons. In addition, there was no clear policy or systematic voluntary testing for blood-borne viruses such HIV and hepatitis B and C, even though detained persons were part of a population at risk of potential transmission. At Paranesti and Xanthi PRDCs, newly arrived persons were systematically seen within the first 24 hours after their arrival by a nurse, which consisted of a questionnaire-based interview. This was not the case in the other centres visited. At Kos PRDC, detained persons were usually brought from the general population of the CCAC, for which medical screening upon arrival was deficient (see paragraph 141). At Tavros (Petrou Ralli) PRDC, newly arrived persons were systematically seen by the health visitor, who was filtering those persons who did not require medical attention, hence only some detained persons with a health issue or requiring medication were seen by a nurse or the doctor. For example, none of the three foreign nationals who had arrived the day before the delegation’s visit had been examined upon their arrival by qualified medical staff. At Corinth PRDC, only those who arrived on a weekday were seen by healthcare staff. Those who arrived during the weekend only saw the nurse after their five-day placement in quarantine. Moreover, in none of the pre-removal centres visited were detained persons systematically subjected to a physical medical examination aimed at detecting traumatic injuries, and no dedicated register on injuries was kept in any of these establishments. Further, at Paranesti and Tavros (Petrou Ralli) PRDCs, the medical screening by the nurse, or the entry check by the health visitor, was systematically carried out in the presence of a police officer. 91. The CPT calls once again upon the Greek authorities to take the necessary steps without further delay to ensure that all newly admitted foreign nationals effectively benefit from a prompt, comprehensive and confidential physical examination carried out by a doctor, or a nurse reporting to a doctor, as soon as possible after their arrival (within 24 hours) at the pre-removal detention centre. Such screening should allow healthcare staff to identify those persons with health problems (including mental disorders), detect transmissible diseases (namely systematic TB screening and voluntary testing for HIV and hepatitis B and C) as well as any signs of vulnerabilities and ensure a timely recording of injuries. Further, a dedicated register on injuries observed on detained persons during admission and detention should be put in place. 92. Based on the findings of the 2023 visit, access to a doctor was still not effectively guaranteed in practice in most pre-removal detention centres visited. Such access was actively hindered by police officers at Corinth, Kos, Tavros (Petrou Ralli) and Paranesti PRDCs. In these four pre-removal detention centres, the delegation received numerous complaints by detained foreign nationals that their repeated requests to see a doctor or receive medical assistance were usually filtered and dismissed by custodial staff. This was also partly due to the lack of sufficient healthcare staff and interpretation services available. The CPT reiterates its recommendation that the Greek authorities ensure that all foreign nationals held in pre-removal detention centres can confidentially request, and effectively benefit from, access to a doctor, without such requests being filtered or controlled in any way by custodial staff. To this end, requests should be collected by nursing staff, who should regularly be present in the detention areas in direct contact with detained persons. 93. In the pre-removal detention centres visited, healthcare provision differed according to the establishment but remains inadequate for most detained foreign nationals. In this regard, the Committee notes positively the good quality of dental care provided at Paranesti PRDC, where a dentist was present on a full-time basis, which represents good practice. It also found that the care provided at Xanthi PRDC was satisfactory, with regular medical consultations and genuine medical follow-up of detained persons. 28