Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-01Who holds the health record in Bahrain?
In 2026, Bahrain scores 47 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 60= of 196 countries (likely range 47 to 83), in the Mixed band (45 to 64). Who holds the keys: Institutional. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-01.
Bahrain's privacy regulator now fines clinics for leaking health data, but patients get reports, not their chart, and have no say in record sharing.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-01 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Bahrain?
Access to the full record scores 50 of 100 in Bahrain, against a median of 43 across 196 countries. The data protection law gives a free right to be told, within 15 working days, all personal data a controller holds. In practice the Sehati app offers medical reports, certificates and vaccination records, not the full chart.
Can I control who sees my health record in Bahrain?
Control and consent scores 30 of 100 in Bahrain, against a median of 30 across 196 countries. Health ministry rules limit reading a record to staff directly involved in care or quality checks, and others need written authorization. No opt-out from record sharing and no patient-visible access log were found.
Eight rights, against Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 50 | 45 · 60 · 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 30 | 30 · 30 · 30 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 56 | 50 · 42 · 54 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 50 | 58 · 50 · 57 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 50 | 50 · 42 · 52 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 52 | 56 · 45 · 54 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 50 | 46 · 50 · 50 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 50 | 42 · 42 · 40 |
Black dot: Bahrain. Hollow dots: Oman, Kuwait, Qatar (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 196 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Bahrain 47, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; read the rank with its likely range.
What would Bahrain need to change to score higher?
Bahrain sits in Mixed (45 to 64); Strong starts at 65. The two rights furthest below the 196-country median, weighted, are patient control and consent (30, median 30) and research and trial consent (50, median 46). The published rubric reads:
- Patient control and consent: An opt-out or opt-in, a patient-visible access log and granular choices together put control at 60 to 80.
- Research and trial consent: A general opt-out that is honoured, or dynamic or opt-in consent, with a public register of research uses: 55 to 85.
Which laws give health record rights in Bahrain?
- Law No. (30) of 2018 with Respect to Personal Data Protection (2018): Health data is sensitive; consent rules, access and objection rights, criminal penalties.
- Decree No. (78) of 2019 (2019): Gives the data protection Authority's powers to the Ministry of Justice on a temporary basis.
- Law No. (23) of 2018 Promulgating the Health Insurance Law (2018): National health insurance, health database, and a unified electronic medical record for every beneficiary.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 7.4 2020
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 26.5 2020
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- 40.8% 2023
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- 2026-09-21 · Akhbar Al Khaleej Data protection authority fines medical centre for emailing patient test results to employer
- 2026-03-15 · Security Affairs Ransomware group claims it stole 110 GB of data from a private hospital
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