Centre Hospitalier Régional Sambre et Meuse

The Centre Hospitalier Régional Sambre et Meuse (CHRSM) is a regional hospital located in Belgium that delivers acute healthcare services to the population of the Sambre et Meuse area. As a hospital, its core functions include providing emergency medical care, inpatient treatment, and specialised services such as intensive care and dialysis. The facility supports a range of clinical departments that rely on digital systems for communication, scheduling, and access to patient records. In its normal operation, CHRSM uses email, Wi‑Fi, and various software applications to coordinate care among staff and to share information with patients and external partners. The hospital’s mission is to ensure continuous availability of essential health services while adhering to national healthcare regulations and standards. It serves as a reference point for both routine and urgent medical needs within its geographic catchment.

CHRSM operates at least two physical sites within the Sambre et Meuse region, as indicated by references to the dual locations affected during a cyber incident. In May 2023, the hospital experienced a cyberattack that severed all computer communications, prompting the shutdown of email, wireless networks, and numerous software applications to prevent the spread of malware. Despite the loss of digital infrastructure, the organisation maintained critical clinical operations by reverting to emergency paper‑based procedures, ensuring that intensive care units and dialysis centres remained functional. Patients were instructed not to arrive at the hospital unless summoned and to await personal contact regarding any scheduled appointments. The incident underscored the hospital’s dependence on information technology for routine workflows while demonstrating its capacity to sustain essential services through contingency measures. CHRSM’s role as a regional healthcare provider is therefore characterised by a blend of modern digital reliance and established procedural resilience.