Kevin Galvin
The Health Service Executive has moved to assure people across the South-East that vaccination centres haven't been affected by the recent cyber attack on its IT systems.
The Executive says it is making progress as it attempts to rebuild its IT systems impacted by yesterday's cyber attack. The ransomware attack, which has been described as possibly the most significant on the Irish State, resulted in the shutting down of all IT systems to protect against encryption.
There were fears that the attack would affect the ongoing inoculation programme, which has seen over 2 million doses administered across the country thus far.
However, HSE in the South-East has confirmed to Beat News that vaccination centres will not be affected, with centres having enough appointments to carry on with vaccines, until the HSE expects to restore its systems in the middle of next week.
Many hospital appointments have been affected in hospitals across the region, with acute patients now worried that the attack will mean their life-saving treatment will be disrupted for days.
Here is the guide to what has been disrupted in South-East hospitals for Monday 17th May:
St Luke's Hospital
- All outpatient services apart from antenatal clinics
- Routine x-ray
- Physio
- Cardiac diagnostic appointments
Tipperary University Hospital
- All outpatient appointments except for the maternity clinic
- All routine x-rays
- Blood tests
- Pre-operative assessment
- All elective surgery
- Endoscopy treatments
University Hospital Waterford and Kilcreen Regional Orthopaedic Hospital
- All outpatient appointments
- Medical radiology appointments
- Cardiology appointments
- All surgical procedures
- Endoscopy services
Wexford General Hospital
- All outpatient appointments at scheduled for Monday 17 May will operate as normal with the exception of radiology.
- All x-ray appointments - patients are asked to phone 053 915 3307 on Monday between 9am and 4pm to reschedule
- All endoscopy procedures in Ely Hospital – we will contact you to reschedule
Covid-19 vaccination are continuing, however there are delays to the testing and tracing programme.
Chairperson of the Irish Medical Organisation's GP committee Dr. Denis McCauley, says the cyber attack is causing problems.
"It's very much our interface with the hospital that is being affected. Blood tests and so-forth, things that we could usually get a same-day-service have all been affected.
GPs are currently not able to directly refer their patients to testing centres, the walk-in centres are open for all to attend.
However the advice to those showing symptoms, is to self-isolate until they can get a test.
"If you have respiratory symptoms, a weekend delay of a test is not going to - in theory - affect the situation, as long as you self-isolate.
"But the absence of a test can sometimes make somebody a little bit less focused; and I can only understand that but naturally, I can only ask people is if they have symptoms to follow the simple public health guidelines."
