The World Health Organization joined at least 50 countries worldwide in airing caution on the surge of ransomware attacks targeting hospitals.

The warning was issued at the United Nations Security Council on Friday (November 8).

The United States, which called for the meeting, was quick to blame Russia for the rising ransomeware problems that will likely place many hospitals in serious dilemma unless resolved immediately.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the cyber attacks “can be issues of life and death” as it targets hospitals.

“Surveys have shown that attacks on the health care sector have increased in both scale and frequency,” said Ghebreyesus.

He called for international cooperation among UN member nations to stop the problem.

More than 50 countries have signed a joint statement airing warning on the rise in ransomeware incidents that victimize medical facilities. Among the signatories are South Korea, Japan, Ukraine, Argentina, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

“These attacks pose direct threats to public safety and endanger human lives by delaying critical healthcare services, cause significant economic harm and can pose a threat to international peace and security,” the statement read.

Likewise, the statement condemned nations that allow culprits to operate.

US Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger, who shared the joint statement, pointed an accusing finger to Russia.

France and South Korea, on the other hand, blamed North Korea.

Russia reacted by telling the UN council that the UNSC is not the appropriate forum to discuss and address cybercrime.

“We believe that today’s meeting can hardly be deemed a reasonable use of the council’s time and resources,” said Russian Ambassador Vassili Nebenzia.

Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks, if not limits, the users from accessing their system, either by locking the system’s screen or by locking the user’s files until ransom is paid.

Various methods have been used to prevent ransomware attacks but backing up data to an external hard drive or cloud server remains the best option.