The AZ Monica hospital in Antwerp was targeted by a cyberattack on Tuesday, with a full-scale investigation now launched.
The hospital detected a serious IT system disruption around 6:30 am and, as a precaution, shut down its servers at both the Deurne and Antwerp campuses. It is not yet clear whether patient data has been compromised.
All scheduled procedures were postponed on Tuesday, impacting a minimum of 70 surgeries across both campuses. Seven patients were proactively transferred to another hospital.
The motives behind the cyberattack remain unknown. Unconfirmed reports within the hospital suggest the hackers may be demanding ransom, but neither the public prosecutor nor the hospital’s CEO has confirmed these claims.
Access to AZ Monica remains possible, and its emergency department is operational, albeit in a limited capacity.
However, MUG and PIT emergency services are temporarily unavailable. The hospital emphasised that its primary focus continues to be patient safety and care continuity.
