Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-01Who holds the health record in Afghanistan?
In 2026, Afghanistan scores 20 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 195 of 196 countries (likely range 181 to 196), in the Poor band (0 to 24). Who holds the keys: State. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-01.
Afghanistan has no data protection law and mostly paper records, and its health policy says the ministry owns all health data.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-01 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Afghanistan?
Access to the full record scores 20 of 100 in Afghanistan, against a median of 43 across 196 countries. Only private clinics have a written duty to give patients a copy of their clinical records, under a 2012 regulation. There is no national patient portal, and records are still mostly on paper.
Can I control who sees my health record in Afghanistan?
Control and consent scores 20 of 100 in Afghanistan, against a median of 30 across 196 countries. The 2025 to 2030 National Health Policy states that the Ministry of Public Health owns all health-related data. We found no patient consent choices, opt-out or access log for health records.
Eight rights, against North Korea, Myanmar, Cambodia and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 20 | 15 · 18 · 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 20 | 20 · 24 · 25 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 20 | 15 · 22 · 30 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 18 | 20 · 20 · 22 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 22 | 20 · 28 · 25 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 15 | 15 · 15 · 20 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 30 | 40 · 43 · 45 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 15 | 18 · 25 · 18 |
Black dot: Afghanistan. Hollow dots: North Korea, Myanmar, Cambodia (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 196 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Afghanistan 20, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; read the rank with its likely range.
What would Afghanistan need to change to score higher?
Afghanistan sits in Poor (0 to 24); Weak starts at 25. The two rights furthest below the 196-country median, weighted, are patient access to the full record (20, median 43) and privacy and security (20, median 45). The published rubric reads:
- Patient access to the full record: A national portal showing at least part of the record (summary, prescriptions, labs) to most residents puts access at 60 to 75; a near-full record with export, long history and majority use, 76 to 90.
- Privacy and security: Health-sector enforcement on the record: an independent regulator deciding health-data cases, breach notification and penalties applied.
Which laws give health record rights in Afghanistan?
- Public Health Law (2006): Free primary care; Article 10 binds doctors and medical staff to medical secrecy, with outbreak reporting.
- Private Health Centres Regulation (Official Gazette No. 1084) (2012): Private centres must give patients a copy of clinical records and keep records for 10 years.
- Penal Code, cybercrime chapter (2017): Criminalises unauthorised access to, and interference with, computer data and systems.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 3.2 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 5.5 2023
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- unknown
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- none published in the last two years
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