Ransomware Attack Causes Patient Relocation at Belgian Hospital AZ Monica

AZ Monica hospital in Belgium shut down its entire IT network after a ransomware attack hit its campuses in Deurne and Antwerp. The hospital took its servers offline to stop the malware from spreading and to protect patient data. This shutdown stopped all scheduled surgeries and forced the emergency department to run at a lower capacity. 

Doctors at the hospital still see patients for consultations, but they cannot use electronic health records. The hospital also stopped all radiological exams and medical imaging services. 

The Red Cross moved seven critical care patients to other hospitals because AZ Monica could not guarantee their safety during the outage. Ambulances in Antwerp are currently bypassing the hospital to avoid overloading the limited staff. Other medical centers, including the University Hospital of Amsterdam, are taking over urgent chemotherapy treatments for patients whose treatment cannot wait for the systems recovery.

It's not clear whether any data was stolen. The CEO stated the server shutdown was a proactive move to keep hackers away from sensitive files. IT specialists are working restore services but they have not given a timeline for a full recovery.