Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 2, 2026
Who holds the health record in Palestine?
In 2026, Palestine scores 28 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 172nd of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 142nd to 187th 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 2, 2026.
The government decides, with limited say for the person. 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 privacy and security (28 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
No law we found gives Palestinian patients a copy of their record; the ministry's system runs in 15 hospitals and, it says, Gaza's was lost.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 2, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
28/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 142nd to 187th, allowing for scoring error
Low confidence. Thin evidence on 4 of the 8 rights: your copy, who sees it, 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 Palestine?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 25 out of 100 in Palestine; the typical country scores 40 to 45. We found no Palestinian law that gives patients a right to see or copy their file: the 2004 Public Health Law lists five patient rights, none of them access. The government Hukumati portal shows test results, insurance status and referrals only. Source: Maqam legal database, An-Najah National University, December 27, 2004, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Palestine?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Palestine. Control over who sees it scores 25 out of 100 in Palestine; the typical country scores 30. Patients have no opt-out, no consent setting and no access log in the ministry's systems; none was found. The 2018 decree-law bars staff from revealing patient secrets, except to competent bodies in cases set by law. Source: Maqam legal database, An-Najah National University, September 12, 2018, and the other sources below.
How does Palestine compare?
In 2026, Palestine scores 28 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Iraq (27 out of 100), Iran (30 out of 100) and Syria (31 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Iraq, Iran, Syria and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
25
30 · 40 · 35
Control over who sees it20%
25
25 · 22 · 25
Privacy and security15%
28
25 · 15 · 36
One record across your care15%
30
25 · 40 · 20
Protection from sale and ads10%
30
25 · 30 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
28
28 · 30 · 18
Your say over research use5%
49
45 · 45 · 45
Rules for AI in your care5%
20
20 · 30 · 42
Black dot: Palestine. Hollow dots: Iraq, Iran, Syria (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Palestine 28 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Palestine need to change to score higher?
Palestine 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 Palestine?
Public Health Law No. 20 of 2004: Ministry duties; Article 60 lists five patient rights: emergency care, an explanation of treatment with consent to it, consent to research, privacy and dignity, and complaints.
Decree-Law No. 31 of 2018 on Medical and Health Protection and Safety: Providers must keep a medical file; bans disclosing patient secrets except as law allows.
Decree-Law No. 10 of 2018 on Cybercrime: Article 22 bans unlawful interference in privacy and publishing private life material.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
unknown
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
unknown
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
45.9% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
November 11, 2025 · Al-Quds Al-Arabi Gaza officials say over 70% of three hospitals' medical archives were damaged or lost
In 2026, Palestine scored 28 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 172nd of 198 countries and territories (could be 142nd to 187th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 2, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/palestine/
The 16 sources for Palestine
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)
“Public Health Law No. 20 of 2004”
Maqam legal database, An-Najah National University (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated December 27, 2004 · 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/palestine/#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.
