Urgently required: Blood donations in the UK hospitals
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is making an urgent plea for blood donations after a cyberattack on a few hospitals. A group of Russian hackers is suspected to be responsible for this incident, creating a delay in figuring out patients' blood groups.
To address this situation, the NHS is asking anyone with compatible blood types to step forward and donate. Highly valued blood groups needed include 0 negative and 0 positive. Blood type 0 negative is known as a universal donor, meaning their blood can be given to any patient regardless of their own blood group, especially during emergencies when there's no time to perform tests.
Blood type 0 positive is also in high demand. Dr. Gail Miflin, the NHS Blood and Transplant Service's medical director, assures, "Patient safety is our top priority. If we don't have or don't know a patient's blood group, it's safe to use blood type 0."
Several large hospitals in London, such as King's College Hospital, St. Thomas', and Evelina London Children's, have been affected. The service provider Synnovis, which performs laboratory tests for hospitals, was specifically targeted in this attack.
Authorities think that the Russian hacking group Qilin is responsible, and the mission is believed to involve making money. Typically, victims of ransomware attacks have their data encrypted, and a ransom is requested for it to be decrypted.
