Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
In 2026, Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 34 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 132nd of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 101st to 162nd allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: doctors, hospitals and insurers. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
Doctors, hospitals and insurers decide. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is your say over research use (49 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). The furthest behind is doctors see it when treating you (20 out of 100, against 33 to 34 for the typical country).
A 2023 Digital Code gives strong rights on paper, but the data regulator was never set up and records stay in each facility.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
34/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 101st to 162nd, allowing for scoring error
Can I see my health record in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 40 out of 100 in Democratic Republic of the Congo; the typical country scores 40 to 45. The 2023 Digital Code gives a right to a copy of your data within 60 days, but the health law only promises a written summary of your condition. No national patient portal works at scale, so the score is 40. Source: Droit-Numérique.cd, March 13, 2023, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
In 2026, doctors, hospitals and insurers hold the keys to your health record in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Control over who sees it scores 28 out of 100 in Democratic Republic of the Congo; the typical country scores 30. Health data needs explicit consent unless a care, public-health or public-interest exception applies, and people can object for legitimate reasons. There is no opt-out from sharing and no patient-visible access log, so the score is 28. Source: Droit-Numérique.cd, March 13, 2023, and the other sources below.
How does Democratic Republic of the Congo compare?
In 2026, Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 34 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Guinea (34 out of 100), Madagascar (34 out of 100) and Senegal (34 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Guinea, Madagascar, Senegal and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
40
40 · 40 · 35
Control over who sees it20%
28
28 · 28 · 30
Privacy and security15%
45
45 · 48 · 45
One record across your care15%
28
25 · 22 · 28
Protection from sale and ads10%
42
40 · 42 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
20
22 · 18 · 22
Your say over research use5%
49
49 · 49 · 49
Rules for AI in your care5%
22
28 · 22 · 30
Black dot: Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hollow dots: Guinea, Madagascar, Senegal (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Democratic Republic of the Congo 34 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Democratic Republic of the Congo need to change to score higher?
Democratic Republic of the Congo sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its two weakest rights, compared with the typical country and weighted by how much each counts, are one record across your care (28 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country) and doctors see it when treating you (20 out of 100, against 33 to 34 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
One record across your care: Family doctors, hospitals, labs, pharmacies, insurers and public health all linked to one record that is used across the country.
Doctors see it when treating you: Doctors who treat you able to see your full record from other providers, with your consent and emergency rules in place.
Which laws give health record rights in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Ordonnance-loi n°23/010 du 13 mars 2023 portant Code du numérique: Data protection: health data banned with exceptions, 60-day copy, breach notice, local hosting, APD regulator.
Loi n°18/035 du 13 décembre 2018 fixant les principes fondamentaux relatifs à l'organisation de la santé publique: Patient rights, mandatory medical file kept 10 to 20 years, professional secrecy, national bioethics committee.
Ordonnance-loi n°23/006 du 3 mars 2023 modifiant et complétant la loi n°18/035: Writes ANICNS into the health law (Article 44 bis) to digitise universal coverage; sets the coverage information system.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
2.1 2022
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
11.7 2022
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
41.2% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
February 27, 2026 · Mbote · archived copy Congo signs US health deal amid concern over who controls health data
Who to contact in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Not legal advice. Laws, offices and websites can change, so check with the office itself before you rely on anything here.
For Democratic Republic of the Congo, we list one official office to contact about your health record, as of :
See your record: ask the records office of your doctor, hospital or clinic
Health ministry:Ministère de la Santé Publique, Hygiène et Prévoyance Sociale (Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare)
In 2026, Democratic Republic of the Congo scored 34 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 132nd of 198 countries and territories (could be 101st to 162nd), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: doctors, hospitals and insurers. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/
The 16 sources for Democratic Republic of the Congo
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (3 sources)
“Ordonnance-loi n°23/010 du 13 mars 2023 portant Code du numérique” [Ordinance-law No. 23/010 of 13 March 2023 on the Digital Code] our machine translation
Droit-Numérique.cd (law or regulation) · Title in French
Dated March 13, 2023 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Privacy and security; Protection from sale and ads; Your say over research use; Rules for AI in your care
“Loi n°18/035 du 13 décembre 2018 fixant les principes fondamentaux relatifs à l'organisation de la santé publique” [Law No. 18/035 of 13 December 2018 establishing the fundamental principles relating to the organisation of public health] our machine translation
Leganet (law or regulation) · Title in French
Dated December 13, 2018 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Doctors see it when treating you; Your say over research use
“L'ANICNS au cœur de la transformation digitale du système de santé en RDC” [ANICNS at the heart of the digital transformation of the health system in the DRC] our machine translation
ANICNS (government guidance) · Title in French
Dated October 25, 2023 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Control over who sees it; Doctors see it when treating you
“Décision n°039/ARPTC/CLG/2025 du 11 septembre 2025 on authorisation and declaration of personal data processing (Journal officiel, numéro spécial, 23 avril 2026)” [Decision No. 039/ARPTC/CLG/2025 of 11 September 2025 on authorisation and declaration of personal data processing (Official Journal, special issue, 23 April 2026)] our machine translation
africadataprotection.org (law or regulation) · Title in French
Dated April 23, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Privacy and security; Your say over research use
“Régulation du numérique en RDC : l'ARPTIC investie autorité unique” [Digital regulation in the DRC: ARPTIC appointed sole authority] our machine translation
Droit-Numérique.cd (other) · Title in French
Dated August 2024 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Ordonnance-loi n°23/006 du 3 mars 2023 modifiant et complétant la loi n°18/035” [Ordinance-law No. 23/006 of 3 March 2023 amending and supplementing Law No. 18/035] our machine translation
ANICNS (law or regulation) · Title in French
Dated March 3, 2023 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Homologation des Systèmes d'Information Hospitalier (SIH) en RDC, ANICNS call AMI N° ANICNS/AMI/001/SIH/2026” [Certification of Hospital Information Systems (SIH) in the DRC, ANICNS call AMI No. ANICNS/AMI/001/SIH/2026] our machine translation
Congo Quotidien (news) · Title in French
Dated June 16, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: One record across your care; Doctors see it when treating you
“Fourniture des équipements pour la digitalisation du dossier des malades dans 4 hôpitaux généraux de référence au Kasaï Central” [Supply of equipment for the digitisation of patient records in 4 general referral hospitals in Kasaï Central] our machine translation
Congo Quotidien (news) · Title in French
Dated March 13, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Lignes directrices pour l'évaluation éthique de la recherche impliquant des sujets humains en RD Congo” [Guidelines for the ethical review of research involving human subjects in DR Congo] our machine translation
Ministère de la Santé, NIH ClinRegs copy [Ministry of Health, NIH ClinRegs copy] (government guidance) · Title in French
No date recorded · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“La RDC se dote d'une stratégie nationale pour une intelligence artificielle éthique et inclusive” [The DRC adopts a national strategy for ethical and inclusive artificial intelligence] our machine translation
UNESCO (international body) · Title in French
Dated August 5, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“RDC : Augustin Kibassa lance la Politique sectorielle de l'économie numérique et la Stratégie nationale de l'IA” [DRC: Augustin Kibassa launches the Sectoral Policy for the Digital Economy and the National AI Strategy] our machine translation
Mediacongo (news) · Title in French
Dated August 5, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
