AIIMS to deploy scientists, other staff across departments to manage patient care

NEW DELHI: Struggling to manage patient care services after suffering a cyber attack, AIIMS has decided to press its entire clinical workforce, including scientists, to handle the affected functions. The hospital’s services, mainly in the Out Patient Department (OPD) and diagnostic areas, have been crippled for the last three days after its digital system fell prey to hackers.

With the e-hospital manual remaining under the control of cyber attackers, operations in the hospital have been switched to manual, causing delays and inconvenience to the patients in many units. In an internal directive circulated among all the departments, Medical

Superintendant DK Sharma on Friday asked them to deploy all “manpower resources” to tackle the challenges. “With a view to ameliorate any possible convenience to the large number of patients coming for OPD consultation & investigations, all chief(s) of centres and head(s) of clinical and diagnostic departments are requested to deploy additional manpower resources (faculty, residents, scientists, project staff, any other staff), irrespective of the unit etc.,  to the OPD and diagnostic areas to ensure that all patients coming to AIIMS to avail these services are duly attended to, with least possible waiting time or difficulty to the patients (sic),” the directions read. The hospital has directed the staff to avoid routine investigations and focus on emergency services, sources said.