Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-02Who holds the health record in Nigeria?
In 2026, Nigeria scores 35 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 64 of 65 countries, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: Institutional. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-02.
A modern data law on paper, but records stay inside each hospital and patients have no tool to see or steer who uses them.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-02 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Nigeria?
Access to the full record scores 40 of 100 in Nigeria, against a median of 62 across 65 countries. Section 34 of the Data Protection Act 2023 gives a right to a copy in a common electronic format, but sets no day limit and lets providers pass on unreasonable costs. There is no national patient portal, so each hospital must be asked separately.
Can I control who sees my health record in Nigeria?
Control and consent scores 28 of 100 in Nigeria, against a median of 52 across 65 countries. The National Health Act requires written consent to disclose health information, but section 27 lets providers pass records to other providers without asking again. Patients may ask which recipients got their data, but no working opt-out or patient-visible log exists, so control sits with each facility.
Eight rights, against Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 40 | 40 · 40 · 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 28 | 30 · 42 · 30 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 45 | 45 · 60 · 52 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 28 | 35 · 33 · 46 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 42 | 48 · 50 · 50 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 22 | 28 · 32 · 34 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 50 | 49 · 50 · 50 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 38 | 40 · 48 · 55 |
Black dot: Nigeria. Hollow dots: Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 65 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Nigeria 35, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; gaps of 4 or less are ties.
What would Nigeria need to change to score higher?
Nigeria sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. The two rights furthest below the 65-country median, weighted, are connected care journey (28, median 62) and patient control and consent (28, median 52). The published rubric reads:
- Connected care journey: Primary care, hospitals, labs, pharmacy, claims and public health linked to one record and used at national scale.
- 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.
Which laws give health record rights in Nigeria?
- Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (2023): Health status is sensitive data; access, objection, 72-hour breach notice, fines of greater of N10 million or 2% revenue.
- NDP Act General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025 (2025): Consent for marketing and sensitive data; portability; AI deployment duties under Article 43.
- National Health Act, 2014 (2014): Record keeping, confidentiality, provider sharing, research authorisation, offences for unauthorised record access.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 4.1 2024
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 11.5 2024
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- 72.8% 2023
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- 2025-01-18 · Sahara Reporters (republishing a Daily Trust report) Patient paid repeatedly for the same tests because records did not follow her
- 2026-07-23 · Punch Teaching hospital says patient case files are still carried by hand during digitisation
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