SGPGIMS Lucknow prepares to guard against AIIMS-like cyber attack

The Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) has started preparing to protect its information system from any possible 'ransomware attack' after AIIMS in Delhi faced it

The Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) has started preparing to protect its information system from any possible 'ransomware attack' after the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi faced it on November 23.

SGPGIMS director Prof R.K. Dhiman called an emergency meeting of software engineers and doctors to put in place measures to prevent any cyberattack on the Hospital Information System (HIS).

The AIIMS had reported a massive cyber attack on its server, wherein all its patient care services -- appointments, registration, admissions, discharge, billing and report generation were severely hit.

Prof Dhiman said, "The institute is alert towards the protection of patient data, besides protection of digital hospital services, including smart lab, billing, report generation, and appointment system. Currently, the institute manages over 3,500 beds while over 20,000 patients and attendants visit the hospital daily."

He said lessons must be learnt from AIIMS, New Delhi, which suffered an IT outage due to a suspected ransomware attack on November 23.

The PGI's e-hospital platform enables digitisation of internal workflows and processes and serves as a platform connecting patients, hospitals, and doctors. It includes data of several VVIPs.

"The SGPGIMS gets VVIP patients in the state. Therefore, it is important to take safety measures to protect the data of labs, emergency, outpatient and inpatient wings. It also gives medicines to patients at reduced rates under its Hospital Revolving Fund (HRF) system," said the doctor.

--IANS

amita/dpb