Over the past thirty years, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has repeatedly visited detention facilities in Serbia and issued observations regarding access to healthcare for persons detained by the police. The objective of this paper is to highlight the legal framework governing detainees' access to healthcare and to emphasise that their healthcare should be equivalent to that provided to patients in the community. For this purpose, the authors examined international and national regulations, as well as CPT recommendations. Medical practice in the community and in detention facilities must be based on the same ethical principles, which imply the provision of equal preventive measures and treatment. Comprehensive healthcare for detainees must be comparable to that available to members of the general population. Unhindered access to healthcare means that medical examination should be available to detainees. Restricted access to healthcare and inadequate care may indicate degrading or inhumane treatment. Healthcare professionals providing medical services in detention facilities must be familiar with rules of personal and general safety. At the same time, police officers must be familiar with the basic principles of medicine and medical ethics.
Sjeničić et al. (Wed,) studied this question.