Sundhedsvæsenet

Profile narrative

Sundhedsvæsenet operates as the healthcare system for Greenland, delivering a range of medical services to residents across the territory. Its core functions include providing clinical treatment, managing patient medical records, facilitating appointment scheduling, and maintaining email communications for both staff and patients. The organisation also ensures that emergency medical assistance remains accessible via telephone even when other digital services are disrupted. By integrating these services, Sundhedsvæsenet supports continuity of care for routine and urgent health needs throughout Greenland. The system is designed to serve the entire population, covering primary, secondary, and tertiary care levels as required. Its operations are fundamentally tied to the public health infrastructure of the region. The organisation also coordinates with regional health centres to ensure that specialist consultations and diagnostic services are available to patients residing in remote communities. It employs a workforce of clinicians, administrators, and technical staff who support both front‑line care and backend IT operations. Sundhedsvæsenet’s service model emphasizes equitable access to health care regardless of geographic location within Greenland.

In May 2022, Sundhedsvæsenet experienced a significant cyberattack that caused widespread IT outages, forcing full system restarts and interrupting access to medical records, appointment scheduling, and email communications. The incident led to operational delays, increased wait times, and the cancellation of some non‑emergency appointments, although emergency services continued to be offered by phone. Initial technical investigations found no evidence that citizen data had been compromised or copied, though impact assessments were ongoing. This attack followed another recent cybersecurity breach affecting Greenland’s public IT infrastructure, which had previously disrupted social benefit payments and parliamentary operations. The event highlighted the organisation’s reliance on digital systems for service delivery and underscored the importance of robust cybersecurity measures within the public health sector. As a result, Sundhedsvæsenet’s response to the incident has been noted as a case study in managing cyber‑related disruptions while maintaining essential healthcare access. Following the outage, the organisation initiated a comprehensive review of its network security protocols and incident response procedures. Officials communicated regularly with the public to provide updates on service restoration and to advise patients on alternative ways to reach care providers. The experience prompted increased investment in cybersecurity training for staff and the adoption of stricter access controls for sensitive health information. These measures aim to reduce the likelihood of similar disruptions and to protect the integrity of patient data moving forward.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.