Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-01Who holds the health record in Samoa?
In 2026, Samoa scores 30 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 160= of 196 countries (likely range 119 to 178), in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: State. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-01.
Samoa now runs one Ministry electronic record across its main and district hospitals, but has no data protection law and no patient controls.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-01 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Samoa?
Access to the full record scores 25 of 100 in Samoa, against a median of 43 across 196 countries. A 2015 Ministry of Health policy lists a patient right to access health information and to receive a medical report on request, but no law gives that right. There is no patient portal, and no deadline or fee rule was found.
Can I control who sees my health record in Samoa?
Control and consent scores 25 of 100 in Samoa, against a median of 30 across 196 countries. The Ministry's eHealth policy proposes that the Ministry be the authority granting access to health data, and a patient consent law it called for in 2017 was never found. Records are shared inside one central system with no opt-out or patient-visible access log.
Eight rights, against Fiji, Kiribati, Palau and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 25 | 35 · 30 · 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 25 | 28 · 28 · 30 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 25 | 30 · 32 · 32 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 45 | 30 · 28 · 38 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 20 | 20 · 25 · 18 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 48 | 25 · 27 · 40 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 43 | 43 · 43 · 49 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 18 | 18 · 20 · 20 |
Black dot: Samoa. Hollow dots: Fiji, Kiribati, Palau (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 196 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Samoa 30, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; read the rank with its likely range.
What would Samoa need to change to score higher?
Samoa 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 (25, median 43) and privacy and security (25, median 45). 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.
- Privacy and security: Health-sector enforcement on the record: an independent regulator deciding health-data cases, breach notification and penalties applied.
Which laws give health record rights in Samoa?
- Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa, Part II (1962): Fundamental rights in Articles 5 to 15; no right to privacy or to information.
- Telecommunications Act 2005, sections 48 to 51 (2005): Telecom providers must protect customer information and not use it for undisclosed purposes; government access allowed.
- Ministry of Health Act 2006 (2006): Sets Ministry functions, including health information, research and consumer complaint systems; no patient data rights.
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 5.6 2021
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 30.6 2020
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- 13.7% 2023
- Record reaches private care?
- unknown
Published stories
- none published in the last two years
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