Some radiation procedures at Windsor Regional Hospital going ahead after cyberattack
Hospital was among 5 hit by ransomware attack on Oct. 23
Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) says it's been able to resume some radiation procedures after a ransomware attack last month resulted in patients being sent elsewhere for the treatment.
The hospital said last week that its cancer care centre was affected by the cyberattack, and officials were working to restart radiation service without the equipment being compromised.
Since Monday, treatments have resumed safely, but according to the hospital appointments aren't back up to normal volumes yet.
"WRH's team, the IT experts and application specialists have been working non-stop and will continue to do so safely until we return to normal operations," the hospital said in a media release Tuesday.
The hospital said that until normal operations resume, WRH will continue to work to transfer patients to other centres.
Chemotherapy patients are being treated within the hospital but there are plans for them to receive care at other hospitals if necessary.
"WRH fully appreciates the stress this is causing to our patients and we are trying our best to accommodate their current clinical needs while working on an immediate solution," the hospital said. "Financial support continues to be available for travel and accommodation costs."
Data released online
The Oct. 23 ransomware attack resulted in widespread system outages at Windsor Regional Hospital along with four other hospitals in southwestern Ontario — Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Bluewater Health and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance — that share an IT provider called TransForm.
The hospitals say they have had to postpone surgeries and appointments in wake of the attack. The hackers have published some information online after the hospitals refused to pay a ransom.
On Monday, the hospitals said they expect to be able to provide a timeline on the full restoration of operations in the coming days.
TransForm says that those whose privacy has been breached will be contacted.