BackMyData

In February 2024, approximately 100 Romanian hospitals were forced to revert to manual, pen-and-paper record-keeping systems. This drastic measure was implemented to safeguard patient data and maintain essential medical services during a widespread national cyber-attack. While IT teams and the national cyber response center worked to identify the breach and restore systems, medical staff improvised workarounds to continue providing care. The resilience and adaptability of the doctors and nurses in coping with this disruption have been widely praised and are being studied as a case in point for emergency preparedness. The incident highlights the critical vulnerability of digital healthcare infrastructure and the importance of robust contingency plans, even if they involve a temporary return to analog methods, to ensure continuity of care in the face of sophisticated cyber threats.