Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-01Who holds the health record in Cameroon?
In 2026, Cameroon scores 31 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 157= of 196 countries (likely range 117 to 173), in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: Institutional. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-01.
A data law took full effect in June 2026, but no regulator had been set up by August 2026 and records stay inside each facility.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-01 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Cameroon?
Access to the full record scores 30 of 100 in Cameroon, against a median of 43 across 196 countries. Law 2024/017 gives a right to a copy, but at the cost of reproduction, with deadlines left to a regulation and no regulator to enforce it. There is no patient portal, and the electronic record runs in about 50 pilot facilities.
Can I control who sees my health record in Cameroon?
Control and consent scores 28 of 100 in Cameroon, against a median of 30 across 196 countries. The law requires prior, specific consent and lets people object, but a health-protection exception applies and patients have no tools to set sharing rules or see who opened their file.
Eight rights, against Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 30 | 35 · 40 · 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 28 | 28 · 28 · 28 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 40 | 45 · 45 · 45 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 25 | 25 · 18 · 22 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 42 | 40 · 40 · 43 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 22 | 15 · 15 · 17 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 50 | 49 · 49 · 45 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 22 | 20 · 18 · 18 |
Black dot: Cameroon. Hollow dots: Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 196 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Cameroon 31, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; read the rank with its likely range.
What would Cameroon need to change to score higher?
Cameroon sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. The two rights furthest below the 196-country median, weighted, are patient access to the full record (30, median 43) and connected care journey (25, median 38). 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.
- Connected care journey: Primary care, hospitals, labs, pharmacy, claims and public health linked to one record and used at national scale.
Which laws give health record rights in Cameroon?
- Law No. 2024/017 on personal data protection (2024): Consent, access and objection rights, health as sensitive data, breach notice, transfer authorisation, regulator by future decree.
- Law No. 2022/008 on medical research involving humans (2022): Written informed consent for research and reuse of health data, ethics clearance, conditions on export.
- Law No. 2010/012 on cybersecurity and cybercrime (2010): Security framework for networks and information systems; defines ICT offences; protects privacy.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 0.9 2024
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 6.6 2022
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- 70.4% 2023
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- 2026-07-05 · Cameroon News Agency Fire at a public hospital destroyed its medical records unit
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