Update 14-01-2026 – Almost 24 hours later, AZ Monica is still suffering the effects of a cyberattack. The hospital in Antwerp canceled 70 operations yesterday, and there will be no operations today either.
This is according to De Tijd. AZ Monica’s emergency department is still operating, but at low capacity. However, no patients are being admitted to the emergency department. In case of urgent medical care, patients are advised to contact their general practitioner, a GP out-of-hours service, or another emergency department.
Original – AZ Monica in Deurne and Antwerp canceled all surgeries on Tuesday morning due to a cyberattack. Even urgent procedures have been canceled. Servers have been shut down as a precaution, making electronic patient files inaccessible.
A spokesperson confirmed to VTM Nieuws that even urgent operations cannot go ahead. The Belgian public prosecutor’s office has since confirmed that this is a cyberattack.
The impact on hospitals is significant. Servers have been shut down as a preventive measure, seriously affecting the organizations’ operations. “We are postponing non-urgent consultations for the time being. This is because we currently cannot access patient data in the electronic files,” a spokesperson told VRT NWS. Medical imaging such as MRI scans is therefore not possible.
Healthcare sector severely affected
Belgian healthcare institutions are increasingly becoming targets for cybercriminals, as are other critical sectors worldwide. According to recent figures, healthcare organizations experienced an average of 2,620 attacks per week in the second quarter of 2025. This makes the sector the hardest hit in Belgium.
Between 2020 and 2025, cyberattacks on Belgian organizations nearly doubled. The healthcare sector consistently remains at the top of the list. Valuable patient data and often outdated systems make hospitals attractive targets. Nevertheless, there are hacker collectives that draw a moral line when it comes to medical victims, but clearly not in this case.
Impact and next steps
AZ Monica itself has not yet officially confirmed the attack. “We are currently busy mapping everything out: what is the impact, which consultations and any procedures can go ahead and which cannot,” a spokesperson told the Gazet van Antwerpen. Patient care is the top priority.
AZ Monica’s website was offline at the time of writing. The hospital promises to communicate more as soon as possible. In the meantime, patients should expect delayed care and possible referrals to other institutions.
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