CAT/OP/MKD/2 30. The Subcommittee noted that the availability and quality of health care provided in places where people might be deprived of their liberty, which is an important indicator when assessing risks of torture or cruel inhuman and degrading treatment, was not taken sufficiently into account by the national preventive mechanism during preparations for visits. 31. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism design its own health-care assessment tool in light of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) and the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Istanbul Protocol) to ensure comprehensive coverage of health-care issues as an element in the exercise of its preventive mandate. During the visit 32. While the national preventive mechanism conducted a thorough inspection of the material conditions in the place of detention it visited during the visit of the Subcommittee, including the state of living spaces, community grounds and medical care facilities, less attention was paid to preventive safeguards. However, the Subcommittee acknowledges that in a short visit it may not have seen the full range of practices of the mechanism. 33. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism direct additional focus to the development and effectiveness of preventive safeguards and the effective operation of protective procedures at those points of the detention process where there is a heightened risk of torture and ill-treatment, including in relation to medical care, with a particular focus on availability, records, medical screening and the reporting of injuries. Intrusive searches 34. The Subcommittee is concerned about what it considered to be intrusive searches, including the examination of documentation and being required to undergo pat-down examinations, which both members of the visiting Subcommittee delegation and the national preventive mechanism were subjected to prior to accessing several places of detention. While it is accepted that essential basic security measures are to be complied with for the benefit of all concerned, the practices described are inappropriate, not in keeping with the spirit of the Optional Protocol and contrary to the privileges and immunities governing United Nations experts on mission. It is equally important that those working for the mechanism are not in any way restricted in their work and should not feel that they may be subjected to any form of pressure (see CAT/C/57/4, annex). 35. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism remind the State party to ensure that members of the mechanism enjoy such privileges as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions (see CAT/OP/12/5, para. 26). Routine body searches and pat-downs contravene the spirit of the Optional Protocol. The Subcommittee further recommends that if subjected to such searches or pat-downs, the mechanism raise the issue with the director of the place of detention and make a note of it in the visit report (specifically) and in the annual report presented to the parliament (generally). Interviews 36. The Subcommittee observed that little information concerning the national preventive mechanism and the objectives of the visit was provided to those interviewed. Furthermore, it observed that the principle that interviews should be confidential and voluntary was not always fully respected. The Subcommittee believes that an accurate and sufficiently full presentation of the mandate and objectives of a national preventive mechanism facilitates communication and trust-building and thus improves the quality and outcomes of interviews. 37. The Subcommittee recommends that at the beginning of an interview, visitors should introduce themselves, explain clearly the reason for their presence, what they can and cannot do, and emphasize the confidential nature of the interview. In that 7