When we talk about things women have in their purses the list is always incomplete without menstrual hygiene management products like sanitary pad, tampon or menstrual cup. However, sometimes either due to forgetfulness or irregular periods, we are in trouble and the only resort we have is our female colleagues or nearby store from where we can buy them but these alternatives have their own constraints and they do not help wipe out those days worries. This is no longer a problem for  Girls and women in certain parts of  our country as they are lucky to have an alternative called “Sanitary Pad Vending Machine”, using which they can avail the sanitary pads at school, colleges and even public places.

Recently, the Sanitary Pad Vending Machine “Vendigo” is installed in Bhawanipore Education Society College in Kolkata. Using “Vendigo” Girls and women can get three sanitary pads at a cost of just Rs.10. This machine will be proved instrumental in removing the taboo attached with Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene. Girls and women would be more carefree during those days called “Periods” without compromising with menstrual hygiene management.

A start up named “Robust Solution” is handling this project for HLL Life Care, a public sector undertaking under the administrative control of the union ministry of health and family welfare.

Raunak Sarawagi, Founder of Robust solution said, “We have got the required permits from the Bengal government and gradually, we are extending the service to other districts. Both State run as well as private institution can installs the automated devices”. Robust solutions have also developed sanitary napkin incinerator to burn the used sanitary napkins.

Apart from this initiative, In 2007 sanitary pad vending machine produced by “Go Life Care Equipments” were installed in rural schools of Tamil Nadu. Again in 2010, one such initiative was taken by Public Health Engineering Department of Nagaland and the Sulabh School Sanitation clubs, Delhi in collaboration with the School Education Department. They installed Automatic sanitary pad vending machines in five schools of Koshima District, Nagaland as a part of India’s total sanitation Campaign.

Sources:

https://sanitationupdates.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/india-nagaland-sanitary-napkin-vending-machines-installed-in-schools/

http://indianexpress.com/article/good-news/vending-machines-for-sanitary-pads-installed-in-bengal/

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