Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Pakistan?
In 2026, Pakistan scores 26 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 177th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 156th to 192nd 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. No right is above the typical country. The closest is your say over research use (45 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). The furthest behind is protection from sale and ads (27 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
Pakistan has no data protection law, mostly paper records and no patient portal, so patients rely on doctors' ethics rules to protect records.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
26/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 156th to 192nd, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 25 out of 100 in Pakistan; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Pakistan has no data protection law giving a right to a copy of one's record; the 2023 bill was withdrawn in a Senate committee. An older doctors' ethics code allows copies or summaries, with no deadline; the 2026 code's wording was not verified, and there is no portal. Source: fjmu.edu.pk, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Pakistan?
In 2026, doctors, hospitals and insurers hold the keys to your health record in Pakistan. Control over who sees it scores 25 out of 100 in Pakistan; the typical country scores 30. The only consent rule is in the doctors' ethics code: records must not be handed to anyone without the patient's consent. There is no opt-out, no access log and no digital consent tool, and providers decide in practice. Source: fjmu.edu.pk, and the other sources below.
How does Pakistan compare?
In 2026, Pakistan scores 26 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Cambodia (25 out of 100), Timor-Leste (28 out of 100) and Laos (29 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
25
25 · 30 · 25
Control over who sees it20%
25
25 · 28 · 28
Privacy and security15%
28
30 · 30 · 35
One record across your care15%
24
22 · 28 · 26
Protection from sale and ads10%
27
25 · 22 · 35
Doctors see it when treating you10%
20
20 · 20 · 20
Your say over research use5%
45
45 · 45 · 45
Rules for AI in your care5%
22
18 · 20 · 35
Black dot: Pakistan. Hollow dots: Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Pakistan 26 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Pakistan need to change to score higher?
Pakistan 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 getting your full record (25 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country) and privacy and security (28 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Getting your full record: A national portal that shows most people at least part of their record (a summary, prescriptions, lab results) puts this right at 60 to 75 out of 100. A near-full record that you can download, with a long history and used by most people, puts it at 76 to 90.
Privacy and security: A health data regulator that is independent and actually acts: it decides cases about health records, breaches must be reported, and fines are applied.
Which laws give health record rights in Pakistan?
Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016: Cybercrime law: unauthorised access and sale of identity information are offences; no data subject rights.
Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025: Creates digital commission and authority; requires a health sectoral plan and a Data Exchange Layer.
PMDC Code of Ethics of Practice for Medical and Dental Practitioners (undated): Patients may get copies or summaries of records; records not handed over without consent.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
12.8 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
5.2 2024
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
54.0% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
March 29, 2026 · The News International Health department disciplines hospital staff after patients were filmed during care
June 30, 2026 · The News International Families say hospitals withhold clinical summaries needed to move patients elsewhere
In 2026, Pakistan scored 26 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 177th of 198 countries and territories (could be 156th to 192nd), 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/pakistan/
The 19 sources for Pakistan
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)
“PMDC Code of Ethics of Practice for Medical and Dental Practitioners (pre-2026 version, university mirror)”
fjmu.edu.pk (law or regulation) · Title in English
No date recorded · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; 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/pakistan/#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.
