QEH services impacted by cybersecurity incident

The extent of Tuesday’s cybersecurity incident at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) continues to emerge, with the healthcare institution being forced to temporarily halt appointments in its Radiology Department, stop dispensing medication for new prescriptions at outpatient clinics and Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), and pause home delivery of medications.

Executive chairman Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland said the lack of Internet and systems access at the QEH made it necessary to implement changes, effective Wednesday.

She said new prescriptions issued in the outpatient clinics and the A&E will now be facilitated at the polyclinics and not the QEH pharmacy.

“Please note that these medications are to be refilled at the same location until further notice,” she added.

The QEH official also advised patients who emailed requests for home delivery of medications on December 12 or 13 that those requests could not be facilitated at this time.

“Further instructions will follow,” she said.

“Repeats of prescriptions originally filled at the QEH pharmacy will continue to be filled there as usual. Please remember to bring your empty medication containers to ease the facilitation of the process.”

Bynoe-Sutherland said that while outpatient clinics and the A&E will remain open to the public, there may be delays.

She announced that appointments for CT scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays scheduled for Wednesday had also been postponed but patients would be contacted with new dates.

The QEH has promised to keep the public updated on the unfolding situation.

For further information, patients are advised to contact the Patient Liaison Service (Help Desk) at 536-4800. (EJ)