Health Boost for PCMC Schoolgirls : Sanitary Pad Vending Machines Approved

• Disposal machines and monthly menstrual health counselling sessions to be introduced in municipal schools

Pimpri : In a significant step towards promoting menstrual hygiene and ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for adolescent girls, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Standing Committee has approved a proposal to install sanitary pad vending machines and sanitary pad disposal machines (incinerators) in municipal secondary schools.

The initiative, approved by Standing Committee Chairman Abhishek Barne, will benefit 11,193 girls studying in Classes 6 to 10 across PCMC-run secondary schools.

The initiative aims to ensure easy access to hygienic sanitary pads, provide safe and environmentally responsible disposal facilities, and create awareness about menstrual health and hygiene. Lack of proper information and adequate facilities related to menstruation often affects girls’ attendance at school. The new initiative is expected to help address these concerns and ensure that menstruation does not disrupt their education.

Under the proposal, sanitary pad vending machines will be installed in the girls’ washrooms of all PCMC secondary schools. Adequate stocks of sanitary pads will also be made available every month based on the requirement of students. Incinerators will be installed for the safe disposal of used sanitary pads.

A key feature of the initiative will be monthly counselling sessions conducted by female doctors or healthcare workers. During these sessions, trained women health professionals will provide students with guidance on menstrual hygiene, physical changes during adolescence, nutrition and personal health.

Informative leaflets and booklets written in simple and student-friendly language will also be distributed to help girls understand menstrual health and address social misconceptions and stigma surrounding menstruation.

To ensure effective implementation, the headmistress and one female teacher at each school will be appointed as nodal officers. They will oversee the functioning and maintenance of the machines as well as coordinate the overall menstrual health programme.

‘Our girls deserve a safe and healthy learning environment’

Speaking about the initiative, Abhishek Barne said that adolescent girls’ health and hygiene is a sensitive and important issue that requires focused attention.

“Many girls are forced to remain absent from school or face disruption in their education due to a lack of proper facilities and guidance during menstruation. This initiative has been undertaken to provide better health facilities, create awareness and ensure that the education of girls is not affected for any reason. Through this programme, we aim to provide our daughters with a safer, better-equipped and healthier environment in municipal schools,” Barne said.