Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Zimbabwe?
In 2026, Zimbabwe scores 38 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 104th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 84th to 140th 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 your say over research use (50 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). The furthest behind is one record across your care (32 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country).
Zimbabwe has written health-data consent and confidentiality into law, but patients have no verified portal, no access log and a record system built for clinics.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
38/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 84th to 140th, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 40 out of 100 in Zimbabwe; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Section 14 of the Cyber and Data Protection Act 2021 gives a right to access personal information, but sets no deadline or format. No patient portal was verified, so patients ask each provider. Source: POTRAZ copy, 2021, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Zimbabwe?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Zimbabwe. Control over who sees it scores 32 out of 100 in Zimbabwe; the typical country scores 30. The 2021 Act requires written, revocable consent for health data, but care under a health professional is exempt, and the 2026 amendment lets providers share records with each other in the patient's interest. No access log or opt-out was found. Source: POTRAZ copy, 2021, and the other sources below.
How does Zimbabwe compare?
In 2026, Zimbabwe scores 38 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Côte d'Ivoire (38 out of 100), Ghana (38 out of 100) and Benin (37 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
40
35 · 40 · 45
Control over who sees it20%
32
30 · 30 · 30
Privacy and security15%
48
48 · 45 · 52
One record across your care15%
32
38 · 35 · 22
Protection from sale and ads10%
45
45 · 48 · 45
Doctors see it when treating you10%
28
36 · 28 · 20
Your say over research use5%
50
49 · 49 · 50
Rules for AI in your care5%
28
25 · 40 · 30
Black dot: Zimbabwe. Hollow dots: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Zimbabwe 38 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Zimbabwe need to change to score higher?
Zimbabwe 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 (32 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country) and doctors see it when treating you (28 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 Zimbabwe?
Cyber and Data Protection Act, No. 5 of 2021: Health data needs written, revocable consent; access right; 24-hour breach notice; POTRAZ is the authority.
SI 155 of 2024, Licensing of Data Controllers and Appointment of DPOs Regulations: Data controllers must be licensed by POTRAZ and appoint data protection officers.
Public Health Act [Chapter 15:17], No. 11 of 2018: Patient information is confidential; record use for treatment or research needs authorisation.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
1.9 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
14.7 2024
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
18.1% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
June 29, 2025 · Pindula News Fire at a public hospital destroys nearly two decades of patient records
In 2026, Zimbabwe scored 38 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 104th of 198 countries and territories (could be 84th to 140th), 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/zimbabwe/
The 15 sources for Zimbabwe
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 (2 sources)
“Cyber and Data Protection Act, Act No. 5 of 2021”
POTRAZ copy (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated 2021 · 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; Rules for AI in your care
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/zimbabwe/#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.
