Funding to bolster health IT safety

BARWON Health will receive more than $600,000 to help protect its IT system from cyber attacks.

The $618,830 funding is part of a statewide $30m investment to upgrade and modernise the IT infrastructure.

The health service was struck by a ransomware attack in September 2019 that saw it temporarily rely on paper systems. Some elective surgeries and outpatient appointments were called off and email access for staff was still being restored more than a month later.

The Geelong Advertiser reported last year that costs associated with the code yellow cyber incident totalled more that $3m but were deemed a recoverable asset.

Barwon Health chief information officer Andrew Macfarlane welcomed the funding and said the health service was “very appreciative” of the ongoing government support towards IT infrastructure.

“These funds will assist greatly to continue improving and delivering a secure and stable IT network,” he said.

Health Minister Martin Foley on Thursday announced 28 hospitals and health services across Victoria would receive funding as part of the Clinical Technology Refresh program.

The program delivers funding to refresh older network infrastructure and replace older network infrastructure required to support safe delivery of patient care.

“We are helping hospitals and health services across Victoria upgrade computers and IT infrastructure to strengthen reliability and cybersecurity,” Mr Foley said.

“This is about protecting our health services from cyberattacks and making systems easier to use to doctors, nurses, staff and, most importantly, patients.”