Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-01Who holds the health record in Papua New Guinea?
In 2026, Papua New Guinea scores 26 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 175= of 196 countries (likely range 155 to 190), in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: Institutional. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-01.
Papua New Guinea has no data protection law in force, no patient portal, and electronic records in 4 of 3,234 health facilities.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-01 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Papua New Guinea?
Access to the full record scores 30 of 100 in Papua New Guinea, against a median of 43 across 196 countries. Section 51 of the Constitution gives citizens reasonable access to official documents, but no law sets a procedure, and the Right to Information Policy was only validated in June 2026. No health-specific right to a copy and no patient portal were verified.
Can I control who sees my health record in Papua New Guinea?
Control and consent scores 28 of 100 in Papua New Guinea, against a median of 30 across 196 countries. The Health Department decides who can use health data: access to the national eNHIS database is granted by health officials and, for partners, by the Health Secretary under an MOU. Only HIV information has a statutory consent rule for disclosure.
Eight rights, against Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Fiji and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 30 | 20 · 30 · 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 28 | 22 · 25 · 28 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 30 | 22 · 25 · 30 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 20 | 34 · 20 · 30 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 20 | 15 · 20 · 20 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 15 | 34 · 20 · 25 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 43 | 49 · 43 · 43 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 20 | 20 · 18 · 18 |
Black dot: Papua New Guinea. Hollow dots: Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Fiji (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 196 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Papua New Guinea 26, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; read the rank with its likely range.
What would Papua New Guinea need to change to score higher?
Papua New Guinea sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. The two rights furthest below the 196-country median, weighted, are connected care journey (20, median 38) and patient access to the full record (30, median 43). 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 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.
Which laws give health record rights in Papua New Guinea?
- Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, sections 49 and 51 (1975): Right to reasonable privacy; citizens' right of reasonable access to official documents, with no implementing law.
- HIV/AIDS Management and Prevention Act 2003 (2003): Informed consent for HIV testing, confidentiality of HIV information with penalties, approval required for HIV research.
- Digital Government Act 2022 (2022): Framework for whole-of-government digital services and infrastructure; not a personal data protection law.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 0.5 2024
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 8.1 2024
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- unknown
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- none published in the last two years
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