SGPGI pulls out all stops to prevent any ‘ransomeware attack’

The PGI is alert towards protection of patient data, besides protection of digital hospital services. RK DHIMAN , SGPGI director

: The Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) has swung into action to protect its information system from any possible ‘ransomeware attack’ as was faced by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on November 23.

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

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

“The institute is alert towards 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.

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 SGPGI 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 a doctor at the medical institute.