Computer outage affects patient portals at several hospitals
Patients temporarily cannot access appointments and test results, while the cause remains unclear at some hospitals.
Several Dutch hospitals reported problems with their digital patient portals on Sunday. At Amphia, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis and Frisius MC, patients temporarily cannot log in to view appointments or medical test results.
Amphia in Breda reports that mijnAmphia is unavailable and says it is working on a secure solution. The hospital asks patients to make contact only with urgent questions and to wait until after the weekend with other queries. The patient portal includes appointments and test results, among other things.
Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis in Tilburg also reports that MijnETZ is unavailable. According to reports, the hospital has not given an extensive explanation of the cause. Under normal circumstances, patients can use MijnETZ to view their digital patient records and test results.
Frisius MC is also reporting problems. According to information provided by the hospital, several digital systems were temporarily shut down as a precaution because of security concerns. Frisius MC says that there has been no hack and that no patient data have been affected.
The reports do not automatically mean that patient records have disappeared or that treatment has been halted. The public information mainly concerns patients' access to digital portals. No nationwide overview has yet been published of the precise technical cause, the extent of the outage or the expected recovery time.
Patients in the Netherlands have the right to inspect their medical records. This can be done online, but also through the healthcare provider itself. The Dutch government also emphasises that patients can ask who has accessed their records and request a copy.
The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate has previously warned that ICT outages can affect both hospitals and patients. That general risk says nothing yet about this specific outage. Clarity is first needed about which systems have failed and which contingency procedures the hospitals involved are using.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Several patient portals are temporarily unavailable.
- The cause is not public for all hospitals.
- Frisius MC says that no hack has been identified there.
- Patients have the right to inspect their medical data.
Left
Arguments Hospitals and the government should treat digital healthcare as public infrastructure and invest structurally in secure, accessible systems.
Values Equal access, public responsibility and protection of patient rights.
Consequences Greater public oversight could reduce vulnerability, but would require additional funding and could slow innovation.
Centre
Arguments Healthcare providers need room for different systems, but must meet binding minimum standards for continuity, privacy and contingency procedures.
Values Due care, feasibility and oversight.
Consequences A risk-based approach could improve security without imposing a single technical system.
Right
Arguments Hospitals and suppliers should remain primarily responsible themselves for robust ICT and demonstrable business continuity.
Values Personal responsibility, freedom of choice and efficiency.
Consequences Greater competition could stimulate innovation, but differences between institutions could make digital resilience uneven.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The current outage and its consequences for the patient portals named are based on reports containing statements from hospitals. The text makes clear which information is still missing and draws no conclusions about a hack or disruption to care.
- confirmed Amphia and ETZ had problems with their patient portals on Sunday. — Omroep Brabant describes the problems and names both hospitals. source
- confirmed Frisius MC shut down digital systems because of security concerns and reported no hack. — Frisius MC's statement is included in the public reporting. source
- confirmed Patients have the right to inspect their medical records. — This is stated on the Dutch government website. source
Editor's note
It has been confirmed that several patient portals were unavailable on Sunday. The cause and nationwide extent have not yet been established; Frisius MC specifically says that no hack has been identified there.Sources
- Computerstoring bij Amphia en ETZ: patiënten kunnen niet inloggen — Omroep Brabant
- Veelgestelde vragen mijnAmphia — Amphia Ziekenhuis
- Mogelijkheden MijnETZ — Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis
- Mag ik mijn medisch dossier inzien? — Rijksoverheid
- ICT-storing probleem voor ziekenhuis én patiënt — Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „ziekenhuizen ict-storing”
- de Volkskrant — „ziekenhuizen ict-storing”
- RTL Nieuws — „ziekenhuizen ict-storing”