Medical records of millions stolen in Turkish state hospital data leak

A cyber attack on the information management system of the Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul has leaked the medical records of millions of patients, bringing up the issue of data vulnerability in the Turkish public medical sector.

Thursday April 18 2024 12:18 pm

Duvar English

A cyber attack on the Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul has leaked all confidential medical records, including X-ray scans and test results, taken at the hospital since 2007, according to reporting by the online news outlet Diken.

The hackers attacked the information management system on April 12, heavily damaging the visual archive and communication system of the hospital.

It is rumored that the hackers asked for 200,000 dollars in exchange for the medical records.

An employee wishing to remain anonymous said that the data breach occurred due to the hospital management’s callous and negligent attitude.

They said, “The hospital administration is making everything by covering up the scandal, instead of taking accountability.”

Every item on the visual archive system has vanished as there was no backup. The Bilbest system storing patient data has lost 12 days' worth of information.

Diken reported that many information technology professionals were working to resolve the issue.

The Health Ministry has not issued a statement regarding the data leak yet.

The hospital in central Istanbul provides free health services to 5,000 patients daily, and two million patients each year.

Turkey was shaken by a nationwide data leak scandal in 2023, where hackers obtained the personal information of all citizens through the E-government system.

Among the data leaked were people’s names, surnames, names of relatives, addresses, phone numbers, bank account details, and house and land deeds.