New Delhi: The Rajasthan government allocated Rs 200 crore to the Free Medicine Scheme, which will also be spent on menstrual hygiene products. This Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed globally on May 28, it is more important than ever to highlight the importance of investing in adolescent health and well-being and break taboos around menstruation.
Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely impacted menstrual health in India by cutting off access to free sanitary napkins and critical information to help adolescent girls cope with and better manage their period.
Highlighting the urgent need for intervention, Ms Divya Santhanam, Senior State Program Manager for Population Foundation of India in Rajasthan, said, “The Rajasthan government’s allocation of about Rs 200 crore to the Free Medicine Scheme, with a firm emphasis on the dispensation of free sanitary napkins, expansion of distribution through health and medical facilities as well as sensitization drives, will help create much-needed awareness around menstrual hygiene.”
The national NGO Population Foundation of India says the earmarked budget is a welcome step in protecting the menstrual health of young girls during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Amita Kashyap, MD-PSM (Senior Professor, SMS Medical College) said, “We need positive interventions at every level as NFHS-4 (2015-16) noted half of the rural women still do not use hygienic methods, and girls are often inadequately educated on puberty and menstrual health. Many drop out of school when they begin menstruating.”
“The normalisation of conversations around menstruation is as critical as the dispensation of hygiene products because numerous taboos, misinformation, superstition, and ignorance still surround the subject. Hopefully, the awareness programs being anchored by the state government as well as civil society organizations will lead to social and behavioral change and more communities will understand the consequences of unhygienic menstrual management,” she added.
In Rajasthan, the state budget for 2021-22, presented by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in February this year, promises to provide free sanitary napkins to women and girls, especially in rural areas.
This move has been welcomed by health experts as a step to improve access and availability of menstrual products in the state. A Rapid Assessment Study conducted by the Population Foundation of India in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar in April-May 2020, had also revealed that more than half the young girls interviewed had an unmet need for sanitary pads.
The high cost of sanitary products, the lack of proximity to pharmacies and ill-equipped health clinics contribute to making menstrual hygiene seem like a distant dream in many parts of rural Rajasthan.
Menstrual health has a major impact on young girls’ lives. Ensuring they receive reliable information from parents or teachers about menstruation before their first period encourages healthy habits and dispels stigma and fears. However, the lack of access to online classes due to the digital divide in rural India has led to a disruption in girls’ education and, specifically, key information about menstrual health.
The National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) reported in 2015-16 that women with 12 or more years of schooling were over four times more likely to use hygienic methods than women with no schooling (81 percent versus 20 percent). A 2016 landscape analysis titled Menstrual Health in India also observed that of nearly 355 million girls in India who have come of age, 71 percent had no idea about menstruation before their first period. Poor menstrual health management also leads to other health problems related to fertility, physical and mental health.
Divya applauded the fact that approximately 1.2 crore women in the age group of 15 to 45 years would benefit from the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) in the state. “Such initiatives depict that the state government is sensitive towards recognizing the issues and needs related to menstrual health. These steps will go a long way in protecting women and girls from developing menstrual hygiene-related diseases like fungal, urinary tract, and reproductive tract infections. All young girls deserve correct information and resources to manage their menstrual health. We, on our part, will continue to work with all stakeholders at the grassroots level to make a difference,” she added.
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