Health NZ reports that over 70% of individuals affected by the ManageMyHealth data breach hail from Northland.
The ransomware group Kazu, responsible for the attack, demanded US$60,000 ($105,000) after stealing hundreds of thousands of medical files from ManageMyHealth.
ManageMyHealth said the breach affected only 6-7% of its 1.8 million registered users, confined solely to the “My Health Documents” module.
A Health NZ spokesperson estimates that around 86,000 Northland residents were affected. The organisation confirmed it will provide support for those affected in the region.
Alex Pimm, Northland’s group director of operations, said they are seeking funding to enable general practices to offer consultations. He explained that the funding would support consultations for affected individuals to review their clinical information and access mental wellbeing services.
Affected individuals will also receive an 0800 helpline number to call.
Pimm noted that Health NZ utilised ManageMyHealth in Northland to let patients view documents like hospital discharge summaries, clinic letters, and referral notifications.
“While Health NZ’s own data systems have not been compromised, any issue involving patient information is taken very seriously,” he said.
Northland stands alone as the only region where Health NZ uses ManageMyHealth to share patient information.