The Health Service Executive said it had been affected by the global Microsoft outage, with emails not being transmitted.
There have also been “intermittent problems” with Microsoft videoconferencing facilities.
The health service’s national secure email service used for prescriptions and transferring medical records is “not available” due to the Microsoft outage.
Healthmail is the system healthcare workers use to securely send and receive patient information that could otherwise identify a person. It is often used for prescriptions, transfer of medical records, communication around treatment plans and clinical updates between providers.
RM Block
A spokeswoman for the Health Service Executive said “pending resolution” of the outage, it had “agreed alternative arrangements” with the Irish Medical Organisation, the Irish College of GPs and the Irish Pharmacy Union for prescriptions under the medical card scheme.
“We are still reviewing all our systems for any further impact and will engage with services and patients if there are any impacts,” she added.
[ Microsoft races to restore services after global outageOpens in new window ]
Microsoft is racing to restore its services after the worldwide outage disrupted businesses and government agencies, leaving users unable to access workplace software in one of the company’s most significant technology failures in years.
The disruption, which began on Thursday and continued into Friday, left users unable to send or receive emails through Outlook. It also affected Microsoft Teams, its Copilot AI assistant and other Microsoft 365 services.
The Department of Public Expenditure, which has responsibility for digitalisation, said the continuity of public services remained a priority during the current Microsoft disruption.
In a statement on Friday it said relevant Government departments and public bodies should assess the impact on their systems and services and work closely with their technology providers to monitor the situation and implement appropriate business continuity arrangements.
“The continuity of essential public services remains the priority. Alternative arrangements should be put in place where necessary to minimise disruption to Government operations and services to the public.”
[ Microsoft outage: what happened and when will it be fixed?Opens in new window ]
The department said its core services were not affected.
“We will continue to monitor developments and provide further updates as appropriate”, it said.
Sinn Féin TD Máire Devine said the disruption “appears to be affecting Oireachtas services including email”.
The Dublin Central TD said people can ring her constituency office, but “we won’t be able to submit representations to Dublin City Council or Government departments until Microsoft resolves the worldwide issues.”
Microsoft said it had tried several solutions to mitigate the problems, including isolating parts of its infrastructure and shifting traffic to alternate routes.
“We’ve monitored the status of the changes applied to improve serviceability and confirmed that change is not taking as expected,” the company said.
The Mater hospital said it had also been affected, with staff unable to access emails. “Therefore, the hospital is appealing to anyone who needs to contact it to use the phone and not email,” a statement read.
The hospital is operating as normal and patients have been told to attend appointments as planned.
“The Mater hospital thanks patients for their understanding while this Microsoft issue is being addressed.”
[ Microsoft software, including Outlook and Teams, disrupted by outageOpens in new window ]
Gardaí have warned people to be extra vigilant for scam text messages and fake social media posts.
In a statement on social media, An Garda Síochána said: “As Microsoft continue to experience email and other internet difficulties please be aware that online scammers will increase text messages and other ways to offer a solution to your email issues. Never ever click on a link!”
Cork City Council said a number of its services, including email, had been affected.
A spokesperson said: “Our ICT team is working to introduce temporary solutions and is awaiting updates from Microsoft. In the meantime we apologise for the disruption and for any delays. Updates will be provided later.”
