The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is reportedly relying on the private sector for help with emergency lab tests while its IT systems are still being restored. NHLS was hit by cyber-attacks last month and shortly after that, the laboratory services were forced to report crucial test results telephonically to clinicians, which caused huge delays countrywide, often in life-or-death situations.

DELAYS

The Department of Health, in a statement, said the systems were expected to be back online by 15 July, but last week, the sytem remained offline even though some had been restored, and interim steps were taken to mitigate the impact of the disruption. The department blamed the cyberattack on the BlackSuit hacking group, a private ransomware gang known for attacking healthcare and education entities, according to cyber security firm Sentinel One.

ALTERNATIVES

The department said they've made progress in reducing testing delays, but facilities are still experiencing backlogs beyond normal turnaround time. "For critical tests, the department was using private laboratories, focusing on emergency cases, particularly at high-volume facilities. The broadening of access to the eLab system for clinicians to register and retrieve critical results has contributed to improving the situation," the statement said.

The NHLS' systems remain inaccessible both internally and externally, including to and from healthcare facilities, until the integrity of the environment is secured and repaired. "All users will be aware that the NHLS networked laboratory system is heavily reliant on these information technology systems that have been disrupted. It has been established that sections of our system have been deleted, including on our backup server, and this will require rebuilding the affected parts. Unfortunately, this will take time, and investigations thus far have not advanced enough for us to give a timeframe towards the restoration of our systems and full service," the NHLS said.