The ‘Pad Up Public Health’ petition has already been signed 29,124 times and it’s still open for signatures on the Parliament of Australia’s website.
While some hospitals have limited supplies of sanitary products, somehow there is currently no mandate for hospitals to supply complimentary pads at tampons to patients in hospital.
So, Share the Dignity – an organisation working to end period poverty in Australia – launched a petition to ‘Pad Up Public Health’ in Australia, calling for the government to mandate free pads and tampons in all hospitals.
“We know the extent of the issue,” said Share the Dignity founder, Rochelle Courtenay.
“An overwhelming number of women and girls have told us about how they have had to bleed through their hospital gowns, rely on the kindness of nurses and midwives to give pads from their own supply, or use unsuitable alternatives like dressings or adult nappies. This is not okay.”
Thousands of Australians have shared their experiences of being denied sanitary items while recovering in hospital, including Alethea.
“When I asked for a pad, the nurse said that they don’t supply them. When I asked why not — given it’s a hospital — she said they simply don’t, and that they have other priorities,” Alethea said. “I asked what I was meant to do, and she walked away saying that I should have been prepared and brought my own.”
There’s still 15 days left to add your signature to the petition, which you can sign here.
