Recent cybersecurity incidents involving 6 healthcare entities did not disrupt patient care: MOH

Recent cybersecurity incidents involving 6 healthcare entities did not disrupt patient care: MOH There is no evidence so far that patient safety and care have been compromised, the Ministry of Health said. SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is taking the recent spate of cybersecurity incidents across the healthcare sector very seriously, it said on Thursday (Nov 12). The breaches have not disrupted patient care operations, and there is no evidence so far to suggest that patient safety and care have been compromised, MOH said in a statement. “To our knowledge, there had not been unauthorised access of patient health records in these breaches,” the ministry added. Nevertheless, MOH is following up with the affected entities - including the Agency for Integrated Care, Alliance Medinet, Doctor Anywhere Group, Fullerton Health Group, Minmed Group and Dementia Singapore - to assess the full implications of the recent incidents. The affected entities are working closely with cybersecurity consultants and the relevant authorities, including the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) to follow up on the breaches. MOH has asked Synapxe and the public healthcare institutions to stay vigilant and increase monitoring for potential cyber threats across public healthcare IT systems. Private healthcare providers were also advised to review and strengthen their cybersecurity measures to protect their systems and health information. “These incidents underscore the importance of being vigilant and despite the best of efforts, every IT system is vulnerable to the most determined attack. “With the advancement of technology, especially AI, vulnerabilities will be easily exposed and cyberattacks more frequent, rapid and formidable. “MOH reminds all licensed healthcare institutions and Healthcare Information Management System providers to remain vigilant, strengthen their cybersecurity posture, and ensure the security and integrity of their IT assets, systems, and patient data.”