Hon Tony Ryall
Minister of Health
24 September 2013
Symptom checker phone app launched
New Zealanders will have even easier access to free health advice through the new Healthline symptom checker phone
application.
The symptom checker is now available to download for free from iTunes.
“People can enter their symptoms by either selecting the area on a body map or searching by name from a list, such as
leg injury. They will then be provided with suggested courses of action,” says Health Minister Tony Ryall.
“Depending on the type of injury or illness and the severity of the symptoms, the courses of action may be calling an
ambulance, seeing a doctor within 24 hours or information on how to manage the condition at home.
“When you download the symptom checker you can add your GPs phone number. If the suggested course of action is phone
your doctor you can do it with a push of a button through the phone app.
“The Healthline symptom checker has been adapted from the successful Australian application. It has been modified to our
environment, so information about brown snake and red back spider bites have been removed!
“The UK also has a symptom checker. For the month of February this year they had 450,000 interactions through the site,”
says Mr Ryall.
The Healthline symptom checker was developed by Medibank and is currently only available for Apple products, such as
iPhones.
ENDS