The conclusions of the experts of the Ombudsman are based on the documentation checked – detention orders, declarations, medical exams register, and interviews with individuals detained and placed in the detention facilities. The requirement of art. 14, para 1 of the Instruction is observed in practice – after the detention each person detained is informed of his / her rights (in the specific case the legal hypothesis of item 1 of the same article – to use medical help), which is reflected in a declaration (Appendix No 1 to art. 14, para 2 of the Instruction). During the inspections the Ombudsman's experts did not find violations by the police officers with respect to the provision of the medical services guaranteed by law. The NPM found differences in the provision of medical exams in several respects. Firstly, there are many police departments where each person placed in the detention facility is subjected to medical exam, upon his / her release and in compliance with the provision of art. 20, para 1 and para 2 of the Instruction, i.e. in case of a request for medical exam or when the health condition of the detainee requires such an exam. Differences have been found with respect to the practice for the provision of the medical exams. Medical services are usually provided by the Emergency Health Service Centres (EHSC) and their affiliated centres. The detained persons are escorted to the emergency health centre, where the exams take place. An order is issued to escort the detainee, which order is recorded in the escort activity register. Medical exam sheet is issued for the exam. The transportation of the detainees to the healthcare establishment is by means of patrol car from the fleet of the police department and two police officers are assigned as physical guards. This is the organisation established in more than half of the District Police Directorates of the MI. There are police departments where the teams of the EHSC / EHSAC visit the respective RPD in order to carry out the exams. In other MI structural units, where there are dedicated medical services (for example, DPD of MI in Kyustendil, DPD of MI in Blagoevgrad, DPD of MI in Varna, DPD of MI in Bourgas) the medical exams during working hours are done by a doctor who is a full-time employee of the MI, and on holidays and after working hours – by specialists from the EHSC / EHSAC in the respective town. The NPM received information that during the past years the EHSC / EHSAC often refuse to respond to direct calls for exams at the 24-hour detention facilities. This was found at RDP Blagoevgrad and RDP Stamboliyski. The problem was resolved in 2013 after the introduction of the practice that the emergency health service centres are notified using the 112 emergency number, which is serviced by the "112 National System" Directorate at the MI. The NPM recommends the establishment of relations regulated by law between the authorities of the Ministry of Interior and the officers of the Ministry of Health. The Ombudsman, in the capacity as NPM, also found omissions in the reporting for the medical exams carried out. For example, medical exam is carried out at the EHSAC in Sandanski of a person detained at RDP Sandanski. A special form covering the health condition of the detained person should be filled in at the EHSAC. This form should be attained to the detention order and the search protocol. However, the inspection of the documents carried out by the NPM team found that this is not done in most cases. Medical 37

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