Surgeries scrapped due to computer glitch at Gelre hospitals

The Gelre hospitals in Apeldoorn and Zutphen had to cancel a number of surgeries and treatments due to a computer failure. Some outpatient clinics are also affected, De Stentor reports.

The computer system in question does have a backup, but patient data on the backup files can only be viewed, not changed. It is for that reason the hospitals decided to cancel a number of surgeries and treatments. "After surgery we can not pass on internal data. We don't want to take any risks with that", spokesperson Tom Schooltink said to the newspaper.

A total of 15 surgeries were canceled. They were all planned procedures, not emergencies. If an emergency presents itself, the patient will be taken to another hospital in the area by ambulance.

Gelre hopes to have the problem solved by the end of the day.