The Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) Cyber Security Work Stream, in collaboration with Singapore’s national HealthTech agency, Synapxe, launched the GDHP Guidance for Medical Device Cybersecurity (GMDC) framework at the GovWare Healthcare Forum 2024. This framework aims to standardise and enhance the cybersecurity of medical devices and targets medical device manufacturers and healthcare delivery organisations, offering four levels of cybersecurity assessments to guide the development of secure medical devices.
Synapxe’s Assistant Chief Executive, Cyber Defence Group & Chief Risk Officer, Leon Chang, noted that often, medical equipment manufacturers struggle globally because different countries have different requirements for the same medical device. He highlighted the global challenge faced by medical equipment manufacturers due to varying country-specific requirements and expressed a desire for more uniform security standards to simplify manufacturing. Chang mentioned that the GMDC provides hospitals and medical centres with a baseline to question manufacturers about cybersecurity best practices. He emphasised that addressing security is crucial for patient safety and that the guidelines can help organizations ask the right questions.
