The consequences of hacking health data could be serious and even fatal, according to the World Medical Association.
We say it often, we write it a lot, but the action is slow to take place despite the emerging threat. The healthcare world has not finished seeing its vulnerability in terms of cybersecurity and hacking its data will pay dearly, from all points of view.
This was the message of the World Medical Association, which gathered at the end of October in Taiwan for its general assembly. The structure reiterated that the health sector was “a prime target” for hackers. “It is essential to raise public awareness of this threat,” said Prof. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, vice-president of the World Medical Association (WMA), quoted in a statement from the association.
Bank accounts, prescriptions …
Doctors are calling on governments to act quickly to protect themselves from this complex threat. “Healthcare facilities, from the smallest structures to the largest hospitals, are vulnerable to cyber attacks. Hackers can not only access patients’ bank accounts or their prescriptions, but also modify their health data or interfere with ongoing medical procedures, ”he continued, recalling the“ deadly consequences ”that can occur. have these attacks.
The AMM praised the improvements made possible by modern technologies in the quality of care, patient monitoring, and the daily work of physicians. However, the deployment of these technologies carries a significant risk of cyber attacks and breaches of patient data.
“The current security procedures and policies in the health sector do not generally evolve at the same rate as the volume and scale of cyber-attacks”, underlines the AMM, which points to the “lack of financial resources” and “administrative and technical skills” to deal with this threat.
Raise awareness, protect
The AMM therefore makes several recommendations to governments and operators of health systems around the world to better defend themselves against computer attacks. It calls on the national associations of health professionals to “sensitize” their members as well as the institutions involved in health systems and industry to the protection of sensitive medical data.
The association also urges health establishments to “put in place comprehensive prevention systems” through training staff in good practices in data processing and in the use of IT tools. In the event of a breach of health data, the AMM recommends informing the patients concerned, providing them with “protection services”.
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