Samantha Bruce, the passionate and dedicated patient advocate featured in this video, is raising a red flag. Women living in New South Wales hospitals are finding it difficult to procure necessary period products. She argues that she and thousands of other women experience difficulties in accessing basic menstrual products. It’s led to harrowing treatments throughout their time in the hospital. This is not the first time Bruce has requested pads and tampons. All too often, her requests meet silence or insufficient replacements such as incontinence pads or gauze. This problem has recently received national attention as Bruce advocates for a fix she considers to be critical.
In another shocking case, an ICU woman was treated with nothing but a gauze. She needed in that moment to be able to access a period product. Bruce recounted how in the past, she was completely emptied of all supplies when asking for a refill. We had women who were bleeding and in pain and they’re just sent away home, you know, with nothing. I deeply feel that pain,” she said with the painful experiences of legislative neglect pouring out in her words.
Dr. Karen Williams, an emergency doctor who has cared for patients in this predicament, spoke passionately about her frustration on the issue. One story she told was of a patient who was not allowed to have underwear returned to her after it was removed for medical purposes. Here’s how Dr. Williams described that experience. They were able to cut off her underwear and left her wearing no full pant covering at all. This opens the door for serious concerns about how the wellbeing of patients—specifically their ability to care for their basic hygiene needs.
Calls for Change
Bruce has been a strong advocate for vending machine-style dispensers. He’s calling for them to put pads, tampons and period underwear in every hospital in New South Wales. She took her bill proposal, which included detailed cost estimates, to the office of new Health Minister Ryan Park in September. Bruce stressed that moving to make these products universally accessible is important for advancing women’s dignity in healthcare environments.
On that front, Bruce made the case that the government has the money to invest in such an effort. If they don’t, it means they don’t respect women’s dignity enough. Dr. Williams echoed her sentiments, stating, “Why do we even have to have this conversation? These are basic things that women need.”
Researcher Skye Predevac supports the initiative, asserting that free period products in hospitals would be both efficient and popular among patients. “This is just one real easy problem and real easy solution, right?” Predevac said. She said it would cost very little to implement these measures. This expense is chump change compared to the overall budget of NSW Health. Her findings reveal that even the most expensive choice would account for under 0.02 percent of the budget. That’s an absurdly low percentage!
The Current Situation
A 2022 public health incentive bulletin committed to ensuring that public hospitals provide period products to patients who need them. Millions of women remain unable to access or afford these basic necessities. In a recent poll, 13 percent of people said they had trouble obtaining period products when asked for them in hospitals.
Dr. Williams noticed that, as hospital staff are often very pressed with urgent medical emergencies. Consequently, they frequently fail to make menstruation supplies a priority. The staff are just as swamped. They’re expediting around, rushing to administer care to those in excruciating pain and without immediate treatment could be life-threatening, this then often being triaged as non-urgent.
Health Minister Ryan Park admitted that it was a problem but stopped short of promising to adopt the proposal immediately. “I still can’t say, and I can’t commit to whether we’ll be rolling that out,” he answered. He recognized the expectation for period products to be readily available for women accessing health services: Well, I’m held accountable for making sure these products get into the hands of women. We should be making these tools available and readily accessible to them, particularly when they’re engaging with our health services.
Moving Forward
Conversations about starting period product dispensers in all Chicago hospitals are already underway. Both advocates and Bruce are committed to fighting for this change. They contend that fixing this problem is not just about improving convenience. It’s about providing basic respect and dignity for women who are getting medical care.
