Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-01Who holds the health record in Somalia?
In 2026, Somalia scores 34 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 130= of 196 countries (likely range 100 to 160), in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: Institutional. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-01.
Somalia's 2023 data law gives patients a free copy of their data, but records stay in separate clinics and the regulator has no health cases.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-01 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Somalia?
Access to the full record scores 40 of 100 in Somalia, against a median of 43 across 196 countries. Article 20 of the 2023 Data Protection Act gives a free copy in a common electronic format (+5), but only for reasonable purposes and with no fixed deadline (-5 each). There is no patient portal, so base 45 lands at 40.
Can I control who sees my health record in Somalia?
Control and consent scores 28 of 100 in Somalia, against a median of 30 across 196 countries. Article 14 lets clinics process data for medical care without consent, and there is no shared record, opt-out or access log a patient can use. Consent can be withdrawn, but objection is limited to a few legal grounds.
Eight rights, against Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Madagascar and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 40 | 40 · 40 · 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 28 | 28 · 28 · 28 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 45 | 45 · 45 · 48 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 30 | 28 · 25 · 22 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 35 | 42 · 40 · 42 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 24 | 20 · 22 · 18 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 46 | 49 · 49 · 49 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 22 | 22 · 28 · 22 |
Black dot: Somalia. Hollow dots: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Madagascar (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 196 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Somalia 34, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; read the rank with its likely range.
What would Somalia need to change to score higher?
Somalia sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. The two rights furthest below the 196-country median, weighted, are connected care journey (30, median 38) and protection from commercial use (35, median 45). 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.
- Protection from commercial use: Clear limits on selling health data or using it for marketing, covering apps and data brokers as well as providers.
Which laws give health record rights in Somalia?
- Data Protection Act, Law No. 005 of 2023 (2023): Health is sensitive data; free copy, 72-hour breach notice, independent authority, penalties up to USD 1 million.
- Data Protection Act Regulations (2026): Approved by the Council of Ministers in January 2026 to set procedures; text not available to read.
- National Health Professionals Council Act Lr.31 (2020): Licenses professionals and facilities; disseminating patient records without reason is an offence.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 0.7 2024
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 3.2 2024
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- 31.5% 2023
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- none published in the last two years
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