EU acts to boost cybersecurity in hospitals

The European Commission has introduced an action plan to strengthen the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers across the European Union (EU). The initiative includes creating a pan-European Cybersecurity Support Centre, managed by the European Network and Information Security Agency, to address the rising number of cyber threats targeting healthcare institutions.

In 2023 alone, 309 significant incidents were reported in healthcare, more than in any other critical sector. 

“The healthcare sector faces the highest proportion of high-impact cybersecurity incidents,” Robin van Kessel, PhD, a Hoffmann fellow in health system financing and payment models at the London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom, and the World Economic Forum, told Medscape Medical News. 

This disproportionate impact reflects the fact that healthcare organisations store a large amount of sensitive patient data, including medical histories, diagnoses, and treatment information. Cyberattacks on healthcare systems can disrupt critical medical services, thus causing potentially severe consequences for patient care and safety. 

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Source: Medscape Medical News, 27 January 2025