The Multimedica hospitals are the victim of a second IT blockade, a consequence of the one that started just five days ago. In fact, ordinary activity of accredited private health facilities, such as the San Giuseppe of Milan el‘Irccs Multimedica of Sesto San Giovanni, is greatly slowed down. Stop sending ambulances to emergency roomswhere, however, patients who presented spontaneously in the previous hours continue to be treated. Wednesday visits suspended April 26: appointments already scheduled were canceled by telephone. Some doctors have been put on holiday, given the interruption of work in the clinic. Impossible to do X-rays and deliver reports. Medical records inaccessible online, as well as the Multimedica website.
Friday’s attack
The hackers attacked the system in the night between Friday and Saturday. Among the consequences, i severe delays in the emergency room. The impact on the outpatient clinics was less given the coincidence of the beginning of the problems with the weekend. On Monday, the group had begun to restore some services: “The structure had promptly set up a task force, made up of internal and external professionals, and was working to give continuity to clinical-care activities”, explains a note. They were back in stock again the e-mail and the application to register the resignation. But probably not all the holes created by the attack have been adequately repaired. On Tuesday, the second stop that paralyzed hospitals, defined by the group as a “second attack”.
Guaranteed services
Only the activities of are guaranteed obstetrics, dialysis, rehabilitation, chemotherapy, nuclear medicine, integrated home care and hospitalization. “The company, which is collaborating with the Postal Police, is unable to establish when all operations will be able to return to normal”, concludes the note.
The other hospitals affected
Multimedica is not the first attack against Lombard health care, as the regional councilor of the Democratic Party points out Peter Bussolati. “I remember the Fatebenefratelli Sacco and the Ats of Varese last year. Public structures were targeted while today it is the turn of private entities with agreements. But in an integrated system between public and private, the crisis of an emergency room or hospital has repercussions on all the others who have to deal with a surplus of requests for intervention”. He then mentions the issue of patient data privacy. “We will ask the regional councilor for Welfare Guido Bertolaso if progress has been made in defending public hospitals, perhaps by centralizing the systems as we asked, and if it is not appropriate to also ask private structures to meet higher safety standards”