NEW DELHI: As online system continues to remain unavailable, WhatsApp is saving the day for doctors in priority and emergency cases at AIIMS New Delhi, which has been facing a major cyberattack for the last six days.
The popular internet and instant messaging service is being used by many doctors to cut the delay in the physical delivery of tests and reports in priority cases. The doctors from different departments dealing with a similar situation are using WhatsApp to share reports among each other, which would have taken hours or even a day if done physically, a senior doctor said.
“If a surgeon needs some immediate reports before preparing surgery for a critical case, he/she cannot wait for hours for a physical delivery. Here, WhatsApp comes in handy,” the doctor said. “It saves time for both the patient and the doctor in priority cases,” he added.
Earlier, all reports related to a particular case were uploaded on e-hospital software right after being generated and were accessible to the concerned doctors. However, after the cyberattack that happened on November 23, the e-hospital software went offline. All digital services used in patient care crippled and forced the institute to work manually.
However, the AIIMS is dealing with the attack through changes in the patient care delivery system. Until the cyber security threat is dealt, the hospital has decided to deploy all of its clinical workforce, including scientists, at OPDs and diagnostic areas. Besides, the institute’s Department of Lab Medicine has asked other clinical departments to send “only priority samples” for testing.