Results of an inquiry into the health conditions of suspected or accused persons, health complaints made by them and requested medical assistance and its character must be recorded in a special book, which must always be kept with the TDF officer-on-duty. Emergency medical aid for suspected or accused persons should be offered by local emergency health services. Persons exhibiting symptoms of acute mental disorder, infectious and other severe diseases requiring emergency care must not be placed into temporary detention facilities. If a medical officer or the ambulance team concludes that a suspected or accused person needs to be hospitalized, then he shall be sent to an appropriate local health care facility. Temporary detention facility medical staff or ambulance team shall prescribe medicine to detained or imprisoned persons. Any prescribed medicine must be kept with the TDF officer-on-duty and taken by ill detainees only in the presence of such officer. 125 Internal Regulations also require each temporary detention facility to possess a medical kit, which should be replenished based on use by the detention facility’s medical staff.126 The regulations also list 18 medicines and healthcare products which must always be available in the medical kit. According to the Code of Ethics for Health Care Workers of the Kyrgyz Republic, health care workers, while maintaining professional independence and providing medical aid to newborns and the elderly, military personnel and civilians, senior executives and persons in custody, have the right and duty to take full responsibility for their professional decisions. Health care workers must resist any pressure or influence of the administration of places of detention, patients or other persons. A medical officer must refuse to cooperate with any person who demands acts from this officer that breach the laws of the Kyrgyz Republic, ethical principles and professional duty.127 In response to an inquiry about provision of medical services in temporary detention facilities, the Interior Ministry replied that “medical & preventive and sanitary-epidemiological work in IDFs is administered in accordance with the laws on health of the Kyrgyz Republic the management of these facilities must comply with. Prior to being placed into detention cells, persons brought to TDFs shall be decontaminated and asked about their state of health to identify detainees in need of emergency medical assistance ... TDF medical staff or the ambulance team shall prescribe medicines to detained or imprisoned persons, which shall be kept by the TDF officer-on-duty and can be taken by detainees only in the presence of such officer”.128 First of all, the exercise of the right to receive medical services requires existence of medical personnel. However, the monitoring has revealed that no such medical staff (physicians or medical assistants) exist in TDFs. At the time of the research, only four TDFs in the country had medical officers on staff – a Bishkek city IAD TDF, Bishkek IABT TDF, Osh IAB TDF, and Kara-Suu District IAB TDF. Further, the Bishkek city IAB TDF has only one nurse on staff who, according to the head of the facility, makes rounds of all detainees in the facility every morning. The Bishkek IABT TDF has a medical assistant on staff. The Osh and Kara-Suu District IAB TDFs are staffed with physicians who are paid though an OSCE project. Findings of observers of detention facilities in the south concluded that the OSCE project of staffing of detention facilities with physicians produced positive results. For instance, in detention centers with a physician on staff, law enforcement agencies could not inflict physical violence against detainees, and cases of physical violence have dramatically reduced. Thus, in some cases, the mere presence of a physician in a TDF can act as a deterrent against infliction of torture or cruel treatment. 125 Internal Regulations. Par. 5.3-5.8 Internal Regulations. Par 5.9 127 The Code of Ethics for Health Care Workers of the Kyrgyz Republic. Approved by the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic. Jan. 16, 2004. No 2-4, Art. 5. 128 Reply of the KR Interior Ministry as of July 19, 2011 No. 11/893 126 53