Dutch grocery store Albert Heijn is to begin selling self-test kits for common sexually transmitted infections such as Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia. The supermarket hopes the move will make the tests more accessible to those who need them.
The supermarket chain has teamed up with manufacturer Homed-IQ to stock the tests which people will be able to do in the privacy of their own homes. The company wants to help normalise the purchase and use of STI tests so that the spread of venereal diseases can be controlled.
Now, rather than having to go through the process of visiting a doctor or sexual health centre, people will be able to pick up their own at-home self-test, which they can purchase at a self-scan machine in-store if they wish.
The sexual health foundation Soa Aids Netherlands has praised the supermarket for the plans. "It makes it easier for people to buy such a test. It helps that you can scan them at the self-scan registers. And when people see the tests while shopping, it becomes more normal to get tested. That would be a positive consequence," said Soa Aids Netherlands.
The organisation did caution against people not being given proper information, though. "It is nice that offering tests is becoming more accessible, but then the entire package must also be offered. This means that you will receive advice in advance about which test to use and how to do it and that the provider will also let you know what to do after the results."