Ahead of Women’s Day, Neuberg Diagnostics, India’s fourth-largest diagnostics lab chain, conducted an awareness drive for 7th to 10th standard schoolgirls of Soami Nagar Model School and women belonging to the weaker section of the society on menstrual health and hygiene. The women and girls were provided with free ferreting tests and biodegradable sanitary napkins. In partnership with the NGO, Think Beyond, Neuberg Diagnostics also pledged to provide free sanitary napkins to all schoolgirls for a year.
A trained group of doctors from Neuberg and Think Beyond engaged with girls and discussed menstrual health and hygiene management. They delved deep into unhygienic practices related to menstruation management and guided them on the benefits of sanitary pads over old rags, banana peels, and husks.
Additionally, the girls were educated about when do girls get their periods, how ovulation is related to periods, duration, premenstrual syndrome, cramps management, how to use calendar to mark menstrual cycle, waste management of used napkins, pregnancy, care instructions, iron deficiency, balanced nutrition for avoiding anemia and when one should consider seeking medical intervention.
Dr. Amrita Singh, Chief of Lab Services, Neuberg Diagnostics, said, “During puberty, the onset of periods leads to a lot of confusion amongst girls. Through this initiative, we wanted to advocate and orient girls about the ways to navigate the initial days and embrace it as a normal part of their life. We encouraged them not to look at it as a social taboo. We are glad that they were very curious and open to discussing it with the team. They were very intrigued with the results of ferreting tests which indicated their iron levels in the body. We will continue to engage with them through the year and address their concerns.”