Singapore healthcare sector urged to step up cyber monitoring after security incidents

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) has urged healthcare providers to remain vigilant and step up monitoring following a series of incidents involving unauthorized access to the IT systems of healthcare and healthcare-related entities.

In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said the affected systems included the Advance Care Planning IT system of the Agency for Integrated Care, as well as those belonging to Alliance Medinet, Doctor Anywhere Group, Fullerton Health Group, Minmed Group and Dementia Singapore's CARA mobile application.

The incidents had not disrupted patient care operations, and there was so far no evidence that patient safety or care had been compromised. The MOH also said there was no indication that patient health records had been accessed without authorization.

The ministry is following up with the affected entities to assess the full impact of the incidents. The entities are also working with cybersecurity consultants and relevant authorities, including the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Personal Data Protection Commission.

The MOH has asked national health technology agency Synapxe and public healthcare institutions to remain vigilant and step up monitoring for potential cyber threats across public healthcare IT systems. Private healthcare providers have also been urged to review and strengthen their cybersecurity measures.