Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Jamaica?
In 2026, Jamaica scores 37 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 109th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 86th to 143rd 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 protection from sale and ads (50 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country). The furthest behind is one record across your care (30 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country).
Jamaica's data law took effect in December 2023, but many public records are still paper and eCare does not yet reach every public facility.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
37/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 86th to 143rd, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 40 out of 100 in Jamaica; the typical country scores 40 to 45. The Data Protection Act, 2020 (section 6) gives a right to a copy within 30 days, but on payment of a prescribed fee, which one ministry agency lists as J$100 per page. There is no national patient portal. Source: Houses of Parliament, 2020, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Jamaica?
In 2026, doctors, hospitals and insurers hold the keys to your health record in Jamaica. Control over who sees it scores 30 out of 100 in Jamaica; the typical country scores 30. Health data may be processed without consent when needed for medical purposes by a health professional, and no opt-out from eCare sharing or patient-visible access log was found. The patient's main levers are general rights to object and correct. Source: Houses of Parliament, 2020, and the other sources below.
How does Jamaica compare?
In 2026, Jamaica scores 37 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Barbados (37 out of 100), Bahamas (39 out of 100) and Chile (39 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Barbados, Bahamas, Chile and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
40
45 · 45 · 45
Control over who sees it20%
30
30 · 35 · 35
Privacy and security15%
48
44 · 45 · 40
One record across your care15%
30
35 · 35 · 38
Protection from sale and ads10%
50
40 · 40 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
30
30 · 30 · 35
Your say over research use5%
46
43 · 46 · 50
Rules for AI in your care5%
25
28 · 25 · 30
Black dot: Jamaica. Hollow dots: Barbados, Bahamas, Chile (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Jamaica 37 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Jamaica need to change to score higher?
Jamaica 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 (30 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country) and doctors see it when treating you (30 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 Jamaica?
Data Protection Act, 2020: Health data sensitive; access right; 72-hour breach reports; fines up to 4 percent of turnover; in force December 2023.
Data Protection Regulations, 2024: Prescribed forms and fees for access requests, including Form 2 (text not opened).
Food and Drugs Act, 1964: Basis for registration of drugs and medical devices by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
10.2 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
20.9 2024
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
33.1% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
June 10, 2026 · The Gleaner Hackers claim to hold medication data on National Health Fund clients
In 2026, Jamaica scored 37 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 109th of 198 countries and territories (could be 86th to 143rd), 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/jamaica/
The 17 sources for Jamaica
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 (4 sources)
“The Data Protection Act, 2020”
Houses of Parliament (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated 2020 · 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
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/jamaica/#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.
