Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Tanzania?
In 2026, Tanzania scores 41 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 91st of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 67th to 117th 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 rules for AI in your care (58 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country). The furthest behind is getting your full record (35 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country).
Electronic records now cover every referral hospital, but patients get only a description of their data and no say over sharing.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
41/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 67th to 117th, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 35 out of 100 in Tanzania; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Section 33 of the Personal Data Protection Act gives a right to be told what data is held and why, not clearly a copy of the record. There is no deadline for answering and no national patient portal. Source: pdpc.go.tz, June 13, 2023, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Tanzania?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Tanzania. Control over who sees it scores 30 out of 100 in Tanzania; the typical country scores 30. The law requires prior written consent to process health data, but it exempts processing for medical care under a health professional. Records move between referral hospitals through national systems, with no patient opt-out or access log found. Source: pdpc.go.tz, June 13, 2023, and the other sources below.
How does Tanzania compare?
In 2026, Tanzania scores 41 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Mauritius (41 out of 100), Zambia (41 out of 100) and Malawi (40 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Mauritius, Zambia, Malawi and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
35
50 · 45 · 50
Control over who sees it20%
30
32 · 30 · 30
Privacy and security15%
48
55 · 48 · 50
One record across your care15%
48
30 · 45 · 40
Protection from sale and ads10%
45
45 · 45 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
40
30 · 40 · 30
Your say over research use5%
46
49 · 50 · 49
Rules for AI in your care5%
58
28 · 30 · 25
Black dot: Tanzania. Hollow dots: Mauritius, Zambia, Malawi (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Tanzania 41 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Tanzania need to change to score higher?
Tanzania sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its weakest right, compared with the typical country, is getting your full record (35 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country). Every other right is at or above the typical country; the one with the most room to grow, weighted, is control over who sees it (30 out of 100, against 30 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.
Control over who sees it: A way to say no to sharing (or to be asked first), a log you can read of who opened your record, and finer choices about who sees what. Together these put this right at 60 to 80 out of 100.
Which laws give health record rights in Tanzania?
Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (Cap. 44): Health is sensitive data; consent rules; description-level access right; breach notice to PDPC; fines to TZS 5 billion.
Personal Data Protection (Personal Data Collection and Processing) Regulations, 2023: Registration, procedures to block, correct and erase data, transfer permits and impact assessments.
Universal Health Insurance Act, 2023 (Act No. 13): Makes health insurance universal; TIRA regulates schemes. In force 16 August 2024 per Daily News.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
1.8 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
2.6 2024
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
28.9% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
We found no real cases published in the last two years.
In 2026, Tanzania scored 41 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 91st of 198 countries and territories (could be 67th to 117th), 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/tanzania/
The 16 sources for Tanzania
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)
“Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (English translation, GN 395B of 2023), ss. 3, 25, 27, 30, 33, 35, 58, 60”
pdpc.go.tz (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated June 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
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/tanzania/#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.
