CAT/OP/MNG/1 out in common areas such as corridors. The Subcommittee also observed that records of the initial medical screening are usually superficial and do not include all necessary details, including the description of existing injuries and the circumstances under which they were sustained. Moreover, results of the initial medical screening are not recorded comprehensively in the medical files of detainees. 93. In addition, medical personnel are generally unfamiliar with the Istanbul Protocol and other relevant international standards. As a result, the Subcommittee is concerned that doctors may not be attentive to indicators of torture and ill-treatment. 94. Medical examinations of persons admitted to detention centres and the proper reporting of injuries found during those examinations constitute important aspects of guaranteeing the prevention of torture and ill-treatment and in combating impunity.19 They can also protect police officers and prison staff against false allegations. 95. The Subcommittee recommends that all newly arrived detainees, as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours following their entry into a place of detention, be given a thorough medical examination, including a full-body examination, in order to detect, inter alia, any signs of injuries sustained prior to the patient’s arrival. In addition, the results of such examinations should be appropriately and comprehensively recorded in a specifically designated and confidential register. 96. Medical examinations should be carried out regularly and always conducted in line with the principle of medical confidentiality; no person other than medical personnel should be present during the examination. Guards should remain out of hearing and out of sight, except in the rare case where the medical staff may, for reasons of safety, request otherwise. Where security precautions are necessary, they should be properly recorded and security personnel should remain a short distance away. 97. Furthermore, the Subcommittee recommends that the State party improve its training of medical personnel working in places of detention, in particular as regards the Istanbul Protocol and other related international standards. Specific concerns Central prison hospital (detention facility No. 401) Shortage of medical supplies 98. Many detainees complained about shortages of medication and medical supplies. The Subcommittee received information that medical treatment in clinical hospitals was sometimes postponed due to lack of the necessary equipment and/or medical supplies and that payment would be required before such treatment could be given. 99. The Subcommittee recommends that appropriate medical supplies be provided and treatment given without patients being subject to charges or payments. Outside activity and contact 100. The Subcommittee is concerned about the lack of recreational activities and outdoor exercise at the central prison hospital and that prisoners had to sit in their rooms for most of the day, with nothing to occupy their time. The Subcommittee did not see any books for patients during the visit. Not only were patients not allowed outside their rooms, but the windows in their rooms were deliberately frosted over or blanked out in order to prevent the patients from looking out of the window, from which there were panoramic views of the countryside. The Subcommittee considers this to be unnecessary, punitive and meanspirited in what ought to be a therapeutic environment. 19 16 Committee against Torture, general comment No. 2 on implementation of article 2 by States parties, para. 13.