Bulk buying of sanitary napkins leads to shortage

According to an employee at a chain retail store in Anna Nagar, the supply of sanitary napkins is irregular when compared to other products. “The supply of new stock is not frequent. While we have been asking for more stock, suppliers are not giving us as much as we need,” said the employee.

Medical stores in the city share that stock is regular, and have been in close communication with suppliers to ensure that stock arrives regularly. “Many have called us to check if we have stock because regular stores have been cleaned out. Demand is the same but people have been bulk-buying sanitary napkins,” said an employee of a medicine chain.

While the stock is available at stores, certain sections of society do not have access to sanitary napkins. According to KR Renuka, director of Centre of Women’s Development and Research, women from low-income households in slums and other marginalised sections of society in the city have resorted to rationing sanitary napkins.

“There are health issues with wearing a napkin for more than the stipulated time. In addition to this, many girls do not have access to clean water and restrooms. We have tried to distribute pads to women in slums, but we feel that if included in a public distribution system like ration shops, women would have easier access to it,” she said.

Additionally, she added that NGOs in the city must rally together to facilitate the distribution process with the government to ensure that women and young girls have access to sanitary napkins.