It’s going to cost health authorities in Newfoundland and Labrador money, but a cybersecurity expert says they can’t afford not to put up the forcefield.

All four health authorities in the province and the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information exchanged information with the Canada-Israel Industrial Development and Research Foundation in St. John’s yesterday on ways to protect against cyber threats.

David Diamond, president and CEO of Eastern Health, says we are marching away from a “bricks and mortar” system of health delivery to an E-health model and each step in that regard means greater exposure to cyberthreat.

Diamond says his organization has never been hacked in his time but that’s not to say there have not been attempts.

Henri Rothschild Canada-Israel Foundation has been to the province many times. He says Eastern Health is a leader in the country in cybersecurity.