Government finalizing launch of free reusable menstrual products in pharmacies

The Catalan government is finalizing preparations for the launch of the distribution of free reusable menstrual products in pharmacies.

The department of equality and feminism is carrying out technical tests at 13 different distribution points with the expectation that the initiative will begin in the coming weeks in 90% of pharmacies in Catalonia.

Menstrual cups, cloth pads, and absorbent underwear will be distributed free of charge.

The products can be collected by showing a QR code that menstruating people will find in the 'La Meva Salut' app.

"We are doing tests to see that the products arrive correctly at the distribution logistics centers and that the 'La Meva Salut' app works connected to the computer systems of the pharmacy, so that when a citizen needs to get the products from the pharmacies they can do so perfectly," equality general secretary Georgina Oliva told the Catalan News Agency. 

The department secretary general points out that the administration has been working with pharmacists for months to be able to count on "the vast majority" of pharmacies throughout the territory. Of the 3,272 pharmacies in Catalonia, the government claims that almost all will offer the menstrual products.

Pharmacies offering the free products will have an element to identify them as such places. 

Beyond the technical tests, officials are also providing training for pharmacists to help women choose the products that best suit them. Once at the pharmacy, they will be able to choose between menstrual cups, cloth pads, and absorbent underwear and to do so they will have the help of a pharmacist trained in the field who will advise them taking into account their needs and preferences.

At the same time, the executive is also moving torward "broader" training for pharmacists on reproductive and sexual rights. "From a conversation about the period, we can pull the thread and detect endometriosis, or even a more serious situation regarding women's sexual and reproductive health," Oliva says.