The international aid group Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans Frontières -MSF) says in its latest report that, seven months after the signature of the EU-Turkey deal and despite the huge amount of funds pledged by the EU, refugees at camps in Greece are living in mostly 'substandard conditions', with poor access to health care. Doctors Without Borders also denounce that the country lacks effective mechanisms to identify the most vulnerable groups among newcomers.

More than 60,000 refugees and migrants — many escaping wars in Syria and Iraq — have been stranded in Greece following European border closures this year. Around 50,000 migrants and refugees still live in tents at about 50 refugee camps, of which around 14,000 in islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, where they are being processed. In this highly critical report Greece in 2016: Vulnerable People Get Left Behind, issued on Thursday 20 October, the group argues that the European Union and Greece have 'collectively failed to establish humane and dignified reception conditions.' Specific needs of those with chronic diseases or psychiatric disorders, victims of violence, people with mobility limitations, unaccompanied minors, pregnant women and newborns for example are not addressed says MSF.

The report urges Greek authorities to 'live up to their responsibilities in terms of assistance to a population in danger in its own territory, to provide, an adequate response based on individual needs and not just the nationalities of the people', to seek alternatives to the refugee camp system and to improve the screening process in order to allow the identification of vulnerable migrants, through better training of involved health professionals for example. It also calls on the European Union to provide emergency financial support to the Mediterranean state's healthcare system.

The Greek government has already repeatedly defended its record in dealing with the refugee crisis, noting that more than a million refugees and migrants travelled through the country since the beginning of 2015 and its stretching resources already under pressure from years of recession. However, with the winter approaching, the government is racing to replace tents with trailers at most camps and planning to use abandoned factories as shelters.

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