Cyber attack on AIIMS not only hit hospital ops, but also academic processes

File image of AIIMS, New Delhi

The cyber attack on All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in December last year not only affected the hospital's operations, but also severely impacted the academic work.

In addition to providing medical services, the hospital is a prestigious institution that offers degrees such as bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS), doctor of medicine (MD), master of surgery (MS), master of dental surgery (MDS), and research-related degrees.

In mid-December, AIIMS acknowledged the difficulties students were facing due to a cyber attack, in an office memorandum reviewed by Moneycontrol.

Also Read: Post AIIMS attack, govt bodies on high alert, issue multiple security advisories

"Considering to (sic)  issues related to cyber attack and difficulty in accessing data for thesis, competent authority has approved additional extension/relaxation for further period," the memorandum read.

A few AIIMS students, resident doctors, and research fellows also confirmed to Moneycontrol that the cyber attack hindered their education-related activities.

The AIIMS office memo added that since the SARAL portal was inoperable, students were instructed to submit their theses to a specified email address.

As of January 13, 2 pm, the SARAL portal of AIIMS, which handles academic-related processes such as scheduling classes, is still not working.

Moneycontrol has reached out to the institution for further queries regarding this, and the article will be updated when a response is received.

Also Read: AIIMS-like ransomware attacks will continue unless there is proper cyber hygiene: Google

A major ransomware attack hit the country's leading hospital and research institute last year, rendering centralised records inaccessible. Hospital services such as unique health identification number generation, new registrations, laboratory reports, billing, and patient discharge were also impacted.

Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health, informed the Lok Sabha in December that all AIIMS data affected by the cyber attack had been recovered from an unaffected backup server. He also stated that the majority of its services had been restored.