A Belgian hospital that operates campuses in Antwerp and Deurne disconnected all servers at 6:32 AM on Tuesday after a cyberattack, cancelling scheduled procedures and prompting transfer of seven critical patients.
KEY FACTS
- Incident Cyberattack hit hospital systems and prompted a shutdown
- Time Servers disconnected at 6:32 AM
- Impact All scheduled procedures suspended and emergency services limited
- Patient transfers Seven critical patients moved with Red Cross assistance
- Investigation Police and prosecutors notified and investigating
In a press statement, the hospital said it disconnected all servers at 6:32 AM after its systems were hit by a cyberattack.
All scheduled procedures were suspended for the day and the emergency department is operating at reduced capacity. Emergency transport and the intensive care transport units are not operational.
Urgent treatment is continuing and patients already at the hospital are receiving care. Non-urgent consultations are postponed because staff cannot retrieve information from digital medical files and must use paper registration for new patients.
Seven patients who required critical care were transferred to other hospitals with Red Cross assistance. Remaining patients are staying at the hospital and receiving necessary care. The hospital has notified relevant authorities and police and prosecutors are investigating the incident.
WHY IT MATTERS
Loss of access to digital records and reduced emergency services led to cancelled procedures and diverted patients. The disruption shows how cyberattacks can affect day to day care while investigators seek to determine the nature of the incident.