Google is helping Indians in many ways and anybody in India searching for health information can now get it more quickly and easily with the launch of new health cards in the Knowledge Graph. This has been made possible as Google has worked with Apollo Hospitals and Columbia Asia Hospitals to review the content, and the health information covers over 400 health conditions including those common to India like malaria and dengue fever.
According to Google, when people ask Google about common health conditions they will see information cards with typical symptoms, as well as details on how common the condition is, whether it’s critical, if it’s contagious, what ages it affects, and more.
India is the third country after the US and Brazil to have health information in the Knowledge Graph, and the content has been specifically designed for the Indian context. The cards are available in Hindi and English, and cover common local conditions. As connectivity can sometimes be a challenge, Google will automatically load a “lighter” version of the cards when a slow connection is detected so people can get to the information they need, quickly, as stated by Google India in its press statement.
“Around the world, health conditions are among the most important things that people ask Google about. In fact, one in 20 searches are for health-related information,” explained Prem Ramaswami, Senior Product Manager at Google. “We worked closely with a team of local and international doctors to curate and validate this information including Apollo Hospitals and the Columbia Asia Hospitals here in India. During product development we also consulted the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and ASHAs who are community health workers to ensure the information on the cards is useful and accessible.”
People will be able to see these new cards when they search for conditions with the Google app on Android or iOS phones and tablets, as well as mobile and desktop browsers. For some conditions you’ll also see high-quality illustrations from licensed medical illustrators. You can also search by symptom, so if you look for “Madras eye symptoms” you’ll be taken straight to the symptom tab and you can easily download a PDF copy of these to print, adds the statement of Google India.
Google has clarified tha these search results are not intended as medical advice, but for informational purposes only. People should always consult a medical professional if they have a health related concern. Google will keep working to bring more conditions and useful health information specifically for India to your fingertips, whether in the Google app or on desktop.
