Taoiseach Says Ireland Will Not Pay Ransom Demanded By HSE Cyber Attackers.

Health Service IT systems targeted in an attack which began yesterday.

The Taoiseach says the country won't be paying a ransom demanded by those behind the HSE cyber attack.

Its IT systems were targeted in the early hours of yesterday morning - and it could be a number of days before they're restored.

Thousands of appointments and procedures might have to be cancelled early next week as a result.

Some outpatient appointments Naas General Hospital have been cancelled for Monday 17 May.

The hospital will contact patients to cancel and reschedule appointments.

See statement below from @DMHospitalGroup regarding the current situation in our hospitals following the ransomware attack on the @HSELive IT systems. Updates will be posted as they become available. We thank our patients & the public for their understanding at this time. pic.twitter.com/02KZyDrSN6

— HSE Dublin and Midlands (@HSEDubMidlands) May 14, 2021

Taoiseach Micheál Martin says the state won't be meeting the demands of those behind this attack:

Ronan Murphy, CEO of SmartTech 24/7, says organisations like the HSE face a dilemma when deciding whether to pay a ransom:

The country's Chief Medical Officer says the  attack  stop the public's fight against Covid 19.

The HSE is liaising with Gardai and the National Cyber Security Centre over the attack.

Dr Tony Holohan says the public's best response, is to keep on protecting themselves.

Full details of how HSE services are impacted by the attack are available here

Important reminder for all CHO7 staff to power off PCs and laptops this weekend until further notice. https://t.co/lkwVTStgw6

— HSE Dublin South, Kildare & West Wicklow (@HSECHO7) May 14, 2021

.Up to 2,000 medically vulnerable people are due to get their Covid jab at a centre in Dublin today.

Dr Ray Walley from the GP Advisory Group, speaking on Saturday afternoon, says the cyber attack won't affect their vaccination:

On Saturday afternoon, the Saolta Group of Hospitals said the ransomware attack on the HSE, continues to have a considerable impact on hospital services.

⚠️Hospital Service Disruptions across all @saoltagroup hospitals in West & North West ⚠️
ℹ️ Patients can expect significant delays in EDs & Roscommon Injury Unit
ℹ️ If possible bring patient number with you, this is on appointment letters, test results
🔗 https://t.co/W4XvsrHfq7 pic.twitter.com/AW0azPFA8m

— HSEWestNorthWest (@HSE_West_NWest) May 15, 2021

From Monday, there'll be disruptions at Letterkenny University Hospital, Sligo University Hospital, Mayo University Hospital, Roscommon University Hospital, Portiuncula University Hospital, Merlin Park University Hospital and University Hospital Galway.

It says maternity services and dialysis treatment will go ahead at its seven hospitals across the country.

Patients should attend their chemotherapy appointments unless contacted and advised otherwise.

It says all outpatient clinics and X-ray, CT scans, MRI appointments and cardiac investigations are cancelled.

Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE, Dr. Colm Henry, says the scale of the attack is unprecedented:

.
The HSE says work on protecting its IT system from a major cyber attack is making slow progress.

Chief Operations Officer with the HSE, Anne O'Connor, says hospitals are particularly affected:

The HSE and our cybersecurity team continue to work through the IT systems over the weekend. Impacts across the country will vary as some hospitals have data on patients locally. However there will be cancellations in the coming days. Patients will be contacted. https://t.co/BxrfhiQEBD

— Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) May 15, 2021

.