QEH reports further progress in recovering from cyber attack

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) said Wednesday that its Information Technology (IT) teams are making progress in recovering from last month’s cyber attack that impacted the hospital’s services.

In a statement, Chief Operations Officer Dr Christine Greenidge said the hospital’s IT team and external teams continue to work on the matter.

“To date, they have made good progress and continue to meet international standards. There will be a phased return to Internet use,” she said.

In the meantime, the QEH said some departments continue to operate with a few changes.

The outpatient clinic remains open and while patients are advised to present for their appointments as scheduled they have also been told to expect delays.

“While present on their clinic day, they are urged to be patient with staff as they do their best to work through the delays posed by the cyber security incident,” the QEH advised.

“The cyber security incident has prevented the department from issuing appointment dates at this time. Patients are urged to continue to present with their paperwork, referral, or appointment slip to have their need for a clinic date logged.”

The Accident & Emergency and the Radiology departments also remain open to the public.

However, the latter can only offer emergency tests at this time. Individuals who have appointments with the Radiology Department for CT scans, X-rays and ultrasounds cannot be facilitated due to the cyber security threat. Their appointments will be rescheduled and they will be notified of their new dates by telephone.

“The department is working to reduce the wait time for the rescheduled appointments,” the hospital statement said.

The QEH Pharmacy remains open daily, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and until 2 p.m. on weekends and public holidays.

However, the Medication Delivery Service remains suspended. (PR/BT)