The Welsh government is going to provide free sanitary products in hospitals, how would that positively affect women’s well-being in Cardiff?
Access to sanitary products is a human right.All female patients in Welsh hospitals will have access to free sanitary products, which aims at providing comfort to the women in need and protecting their dignity.
The policy was announced by Minister for Health and Social Services Vaughan Gething AM on 6th March in response to the British Medical Association’s demand for consistencies in inpatient provision.
Free sanitary products are provided to all female patients in Welsh hospitals.“Access to sanitary products is a human right, it’s unbelievable that in 2019 in the UK women and girls are still unable to have them when they need them particularly in the hospital,” said Rave, a Welsh NHS GP from Cardiff.
According to Rave, some hospitals in Cardiff have offered free tampons and hygiene products since January, however, the level of support women get in different hospitals is inconsistent.
In this way, the new mandatory policy will force every hospital across Wales to fulfil their part in tackling period poverty by making sanitary products available to all women in need.
Some hospitals in Cardiff have offered free tampons and hygiene products since January.On the one hand, since the Welsh Assembly Government has already announced £1 million to help address period poverty a year ago, some people began to criticisethe government saying it has taken them too long to introduce this legislation.
“They take a long time to think about addressing gender issues, that women need to be cognitively consensual and financially supported, which is unacceptable,” said Olivia Thomas, a member in Periods in Poverty Cardiff, a Cardiff based project advocating for providing free sanitary products to women in need.
On the other hand, although it took more than a year to launch the plan finally, many people believethat isa big step forward for women fighting for their dignity and human rights.
“This is certainly good news for the women’s situation in Cardiff’s hospitals because it will likely fall under a health portfolio,” said Councillor Joel Williams, who is currently working for adult services, an organisation that pulls together initiatives between health and social care.
The decision to provide free sanitary products to all women in Welsh hospitals is just the beginning, in the future, the same provision will be rolled out to schools and wherever it is needed.
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Uploaded by Sharon on 2019-03-14.