The system for referring people to get a Covid-19 test is down because of this morning's HSE cyber attack.
GPs will be asking people to attend a walk-in testing centre instead. Existing appointments will go ahead.
The Vaccination Programme and Ambulance calls are NOT affected.
HSE Hack - Working With Gardaí & Cyber Security
It's liaising with Gardaí and the National Cyber Security Centre to assess the extent of the issue.
The Rotunda Hospital has cancelled most outpatient appointments, except for heavily pregnant women.
However the National Ambulance Service isn't affected.
999 calls are still being answered and responded to.
There is a significant ransomware attack on the HSE IT systems. We have taken the precaution of shutting down all our our IT systems in order to protect them from this attack and to allow us fully assess the situation with our own security partners.
— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) May 14, 2021
HSE Hack Doesn't Affect Vaccinations
HSE chief executive Paul Reid says Covid vaccinations are also going ahead as normal:
The vaccination programme will continue, it's not impacted at all.
That's on a separate system, on a separate infrastructure."
So please do continue to go to your appointments."
The National Ambulance Service @AmbulanceNAS are operating as per normal with no impact on emergency ambulance call handling and dispatch nationally.
— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) May 14, 2021
Tusla Also Hit By Hack
The Child and Family Agency Tusla says its systems aren't operating because of the HSE cyber attack.
It includes the portal that's used to make child protection referrals.
Anyone who wants to make a referral can contact their local Tusla office.
