Cybersecurity breach causes lab test delays, says Gauteng health department

There are delays in processing laboratory tests across public health facilities in Gauteng due to a recent security breach experienced by the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS).

The breach affected the information technology systems and disrupted laboratory services, the Gauteng Department of Health said.

To mitigate the impact, the department said critical tests, such as blood tests for sodium, potassium, glucose and other vital chemicals, as well as urgent tests for infections and other serious conditions, are being prioritised.

“Our facilities have point of care equipment such as i-stat machines that can provide healthcare professionals with diagnostic information key for patient care,” it said.

“We are working closely with the NHLS to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”

The NHLS said last week: “A ransomware virus was used to target selected points in the NHLS IT systems, rendering them inaccessible and blocking communication from the laboratory information system and other databases to and from users.

“Sections of our system have been deleted, including in our backup server, and this will require rebuilding the affected parts.”

The NHLS said it swiftly activated its incident response team, which included internal experts and external cybersecurity professionals.

“The cyberattacks did continue but we have been able to block them because of the additional layer of security that was built to prevent further damage. We also have had to shut down systems to enable us to repair the damage.”

While no patient data was affected, the organisation’s systems would remain inaccessible internally and externally, including to and from healthcare facilities, until the integrity of the environment is secured and repaired, it said.

The NHLS said its laboratories were operating.

“Under normal circumstances, the laboratory reports are automatically generated and sent to clinicians or made available on web view, but the incident has disabled that functionality. However, all urgent results are communicated telephonically to requesting clinicians.”

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