Sanitary vending machines installed at Osmania University

Osmania University: Highlighting the importance of healthy living conditions for young women, the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) contributed seven sanitary napkin vending machines, costing 40,000 to 50,000 each to the Women's Hostel in Osmania University campus recently.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission to promote sanitation and cleanliness, nearly 2,000 female students availing accommodation facilities of the varsity would be benefitted by the machines. With Rs 10 only, the vending machines would provide three sanitary napkins of standard quality fixed by the Department of Health.

While five machines have already been installed at various places in three blocks, two vending machines are yet to be fixed at the 4th and newly constructed blocks of the hostel.

After representations from several students over the importance of women's health in the past few months, Osmania University becomes the third in the State after English and Foreign Language University and the University of Hyderabad to fix sanitary vending machines at women hostels.

" We have a small shop in our hostel premises from where we would purchase sanitary pads and when it ran out of stock we are forced to go to pharmacies on Shivam Road to procure them. It used to be even embarrassing when no one of our roommates had a pad in case we needed it at midnights. But, the vending machine seems like a big relief. Finally, we do not have to wake up the entire hostel announcing the arrival of our dreadful days." expressed Mounika, a student.

Even the caretakers and the sanitation workers have a reason to rejoice because of the newly installed vending machines.

Kasturi, caretaker of A-block said earlier the women would indecently dispose of their used sanitary napkins threatening the health conditions of sanitation workers who would pick them up but since incinerators too have been specially fixed at the blocks, students can easily discard their menstrual waste by turning them into ashes which are to be cleared once a day thereby reducing the health hazards to the workers and the ragpickers.

But, the hostelers and the wardens complain that due to the lack of knowledge on how to use the machines and no awareness drive regarding the same they are facing problems to utilise the vending machines to the fullest.

The wardens also revealed when similar devices were placed in the hostel several years ago, students had not used it for a long time because of which the machines rusted over time. But authorities at the hostel feel that if female students were motivated to dispose the waste in safe ways, they would contribute immensely to improving the health of their fellow students and also of those who work for them.