Despite a major cyberattack in the fall that crippled computer and reporting systems, Chatham-Kent’s hospital has maintained and even increased its number of annually completed surgeries.
According to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA), during the 2023-24 fiscal year ending on March 31, the hospital performed over 9,000 surgeries. In comparison, the hospital performed 8,700 surgical procedures in 2022-2023 and 8,100 the year prior.
Caen Suni, CKHA’s vice president of clinical programs and operations, said the surgical program was able to recover fairly quickly after the cyberattack on October 23, 2023, which resulted in a “Code Grey” due to the loss of critical systems at the hospital.
“It’s important to note that during the Code Gray period we changed our processes quite rapidity which only necessitated rescheduling of procedures in the first week,” said Suni. “After that, the program was able to recover pretty quickly and maintain its schedule.”
Suni added that CKHA’s seasonal care clinic, which operated between November and March, also helped to mitigate any impact on the surgical program from an influx of season illnesses.
“I think last year we were cancelling dozens [of surgeries] as a result of both seasonal illness and the remnants of COVID and flu, as well as staffing, which has not been a significant impact this year,” he said.
CKHA President and CEO Lori Marshall said the critical clinical systems and critical financial systems that were affected by the cyberattack were back online as of February 2024. She said it’s anticipated that the majority of other impacted systems will be back up before the end of June, which should mark the end of CKHA’s restoration efforts.
