The parliamentary opposition says the reported cyber incident involving the National Health Fund (NHF) underscores the urgent need for comprehensive cybersecurity legislation.
It was confirmed Wednesday that the NHT had been contacted by hackers claiming to be in possession of medical information belonging to some clients.
NHF Chief Executive Officer Everton Anderson said the extent of the breach has not yet been determined but the agency is in full control of its systems.
Opposition Spokeperson on Science, Technology, Data and Digital Transformation, Christopher Brown, says the recent event makes it clear that the government must foster and table a new Cybersecurity Act this calendar year.
“Government figures indicate cyber incidents and attempted attacks have risen from approximately $12 million in 2022 to $49 million in 2025, respecting a rapidly escalating threat environment targeting both public institutions or private financial institutions and citizens’ personal data. Yet Jamaica still lacks a dedicated legislative framework requiring public bodies to meet baseline cybersecurity standards before any such incident occurs,” he pointed out.
Mr. Brown noted that while the government has suggested a timeline extending to 2027 for cybersecurity legislation, “recent events make clear that this pace is insufficient” since the risks are immediate.
During his recent Sectoral Debate presentation, Minister without portfolio with responsibility for Technology, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, said the government was moving to develop a new cybersecurity law. The current legislation was amended in February.