Burjeel Chairman Warns Cyberattacks Could Hit Hospital Equipment and Blood Supplies in Wartime

Vayalil spoke at the 46th World Congress of Military Medicine in Abu Dhabi. He said hospitals are especially exposed because their interconnected systems and devices create many separate points of attack. "The battlefield is not just near the lines. The battlefield is open," he said, according to Khaleej Times.

Vayalil chairs one of the region's largest private hospital operators. His point is that cyberattacks on hospitals are no longer only about stolen patient records. An attack on connected devices could disrupt clinical care itself, for example medicine storage or drug delivery to patients.

He said the threats are changing quickly. "Today we are getting all new surprises, new kinds of cyber warfare, new kinds of hacks, which we have never seen in the past," he said.

He said hospitals need a clear chain of command in emergencies because attackers tend to cut communications first. "We need to be clear of the chain of command because the first thing that people are hitting are the communication channels," he said. Providers should plan for situations where systems or communications fail, he added, and should not assume the technology will always be available.

Abu Dhabi already has formal rules for healthcare cybersecurity. The Department of Health's AAMEN programme sets information security and data privacy requirements for healthcare facilities. The Abu Dhabi Healthcare Computer Emergency Response Team monitors incidents across the sector, issues warnings and supports incident management and business continuity. In May 2025 the department signed an agreement with cybersecurity company CPX to run cyber drills and share expertise.

Vayalil also said artificial intelligence and other technologies should strengthen what doctors and clinical teams can do, while medical decisions stay with humans. He did not say whether Burjeel's own facilities had faced attacks or describe any new measures the group is taking.