Tonga’s top health official warned the island country’s residents that a ransomware attack has taken down its National Health Information System.
The Ministry of Health published statements on Wednesday explaining that it is dealing with a cyberattack on its IT systems affecting the organization’s website and other tools.
Minister of Health Ana ‘Akau’ola then told parliament on Thursday that an unnamed ransomware gang attacked the National Health Information System, demanding millions in ransom to restore the system.
‘Akau’ola said she learned of the incident earlier in the week and explained that cybersecurity experts from Australia arrived on Thursday to help the government resolve the issue.
‘Akau’ola held another press conference on Friday where she said the attack was discovered on June 15.
“This system is used to record and register patients at the hospital. It contains the history of all our patients, including their medical records, prescriptions, health risks and future plans for patients,” she told reporters, according to local news outlet Matangi Tonga.
“This happened on Sunday, I was informed from the hospital that the system was not functioning. Everything we do at the hospital, including ordering pills are all done in this system.”
‘Akau’ola added that officials initially reached out to their IT contractor based in Fiji who confirmed that it was a ransomware attack. The National Health Information System was introduced in 2019 as part of an effort to digitize government records.
In its public statement, the Ministry of Health told people to bring cards that list out their prescriptions because doctors do not have access to medical records. Tonga has four hospitals: Vaiola Hospital, Prince Wellington Ngu Hospital, Niu’ui Hospital and Niu’eki Hospital.
As of Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Health website is still down. The Polynesian country is made up of some 171 islands and has a population of about 100,000.
No hacking group has taken credit for the attack. In 2023, Tonga’s state-owned telecommunications company was taken down by the Medusa ransomware gang — a group responsible for more than 300 attacks in critical infrastructure sectors.
Three months ago, the Ministry of Health for another Pacific island nation, Palau, was also taken down by a ransomware attack.
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