The Kemptville District Hospital said Friday afternoon it’s reopened its emergency department following a “cyber incident” earlier in the week.
The KDH said in a statement that support from local hospital partners allowed the eastern Ontario hospital to resume emergency care, even as IT issues persist.
The hospital, about 40 minutes south of Ottawa, remains in “Code Grey,” reflecting a loss of essential services.
In addition to the emergency department’s closure, outpatient X-rays and ultrasounds had been paused. It was not immediately clear Friday afternoon whether these services have yet resumed.
Emergency care first closed to the public Thursday morning as KDH said a “cyber incident forced the hospital to take its IT environment offline.”
The hospital said it called in police to assess the situation on Wednesday evening. An OPP spokesperson said the cyber unit had been on-site but did not confirm whether the incident was a malicious attack.
“This is normal protocol whenever there is a disruption in service or concerns over possible crimes related to cyber security. We are currently assessing, alongside the hospital’s IT unit, what the situation is,” an OPP spokesperson said in a brief statement to Global News, declining to provide additional details.
The hospital said in its most recent statement that the investigation into the disruption continues.
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