![Following the attack on June 3, the number of blood tests taken from patients decreased [File]](https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png "Following the attack on June 3, the number of blood tests taken from patients decreased [File]")
Following the attack on June 3, the number of blood tests taken from patients decreased [File]
| Photo source: REUTERS
NHS England London has declared a regional incident following a cyber attack on the Synnovis blood testing laboratory, which processes samples for hospitals in south-east London.
Due to the June 3 attack, the number of blood tests taken from patients decreased and their processing was also affected.
Meanwhile, the NHS said hundreds of surgeries and appointments had to be postponed, including cancer treatments and a caesarean section.
The NHS has urged people with blood type O positive and type O negative to make appointments to donate blood quickly so that supplies can be maintained at normal levels.
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Patients requiring urgent care are referred to other health care facilities or receive mutual aid. The remaining patients were asked to keep their appointments unless otherwise advised.
“Figures for the first week after the attack (June 3-9) show that the two most affected trusts – King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust – saw over 800 elective surgeries and 700 outpatients. meetings had to be postponed. “The majority of planned activities continue, with some specialties having a greater impact than others,” the NHS said in its post, adding that it would publish “unverified management information” every week to keep people informed.
However, according to the NHS and Synnovis, the effects of the attack are likely to last for several months.
Confirmed details about the potential perpetrators of the cyber attack have not yet been made public.
“In the event of a ransomware attack, there is always a risk that cybercriminals will also gain access to data. In addition to work to restore services, investigations are continuing to establish the possible impact on data,” the NHS said.
