Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Palau?
In 2026, Palau scores 33 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 142nd of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 108th to 169th allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
The government decides, with limited say for the person. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is doctors see it when treating you (40 out of 100, against 33 to 34 for the typical country). The furthest behind is protection from sale and ads (18 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
Palau's national hospital keeps one electronic record, but patients lack a copy right or sharing choices, and a 2025 breach leaked medical data.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
33/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 108th to 169th, allowing for scoring error
Low confidence. Thin evidence on 4 of the 8 rights: your copy, joined-up record, doctors see it and AI rules. The evidence grade rates all our sources together; confidence looks at each right. Neither changes the score.
Questions people ask
Can I see my health record in Palau?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 35 out of 100 in Palau; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Citizens have a constitutional right to examine any government document, and the Open Government Act sets a 10-day deadline. Whether this covers a patient's own hospital file is not verified, and the Privacy Act has no access right. Source: Constitute Project, 1992, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Palau?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Palau. Control over who sees it scores 30 out of 100 in Palau; the typical country scores 30. No opt-out, granular choice or patient-visible access log was found, and the government has called the Ministry the owner of medical records. The Healthcare Fund needs written consent, valid one year, to release a member's medical information. Source: Palau Government, March 2023, and the other sources below.
How does Palau compare?
In 2026, Palau scores 33 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Vanuatu (34 out of 100), Samoa (30 out of 100) and Fiji (29 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
35
45 · 25 · 35
Control over who sees it20%
30
32 · 25 · 28
Privacy and security15%
32
45 · 25 · 30
One record across your care15%
38
22 · 45 · 30
Protection from sale and ads10%
18
35 · 20 · 20
Doctors see it when treating you10%
40
18 · 48 · 25
Your say over research use5%
49
46 · 43 · 43
Rules for AI in your care5%
20
22 · 18 · 18
Black dot: Palau. Hollow dots: Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Palau 33 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Palau need to change to score higher?
Palau 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 protection from sale and ads (18 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country) and privacy and security (32 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Protection from sale and ads: Clear limits on selling health data or using it for ads, covering apps and data brokers as well as doctors and hospitals.
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 Palau?
Constitution of the Republic of Palau, Article IV sections 4 and 12 (1981): Security of person and papers against search; citizens may examine any government document.
Privacy Act, 6 PNCA 201-206 (not verified): National agencies must secure personal information, limit retention and reuse; no access right or regulator.
Open Government Act, RPPL No. 9-32 (2014): Public records available within 10 days; medical files exempt where release invades privacy.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
18.1 2023
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
66.1 2023
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
18.4% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
March 6, 2025 · teiss Palau health ministry says ransomware attack exposed hospital patient records
February 21, 2025 · Island Times Cyberattack forced Palau hospital staff to pull patient records by hand
Who to contact in Palau
Not legal advice. Laws, offices and websites can change, so check with the office itself before you rely on anything here.
For Palau, 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:Ministry of Health and Human Services
In 2026, Palau scored 33 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 142nd of 198 countries and territories (could be 108th to 169th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/palau/
The 18 sources for Palau
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)
“Constitution of the Republic of Palau 1981 (rev. 1992)”
Constitute Project (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated 1992 · 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/palau/#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.
