A Public Health Expert and the Chief Executive Officer for Shaip Africa Foundation, Dr. Clement Clinton Blay has joined stakeholders to call for a total scrap of taxes on sanitary pads and other menstrual products to make it easily accessible to boost menstrual hygiene.
Although menstrual hygiene is fundamental to the dignity, health and wellbeing of women and girls, yet managing menstruation by girls and women is another challenge.
However, Dr. Clement Clinton Blay is worried that after several years of advocacy, President Akufo Addo’s administration and the NPP government has refused to remove taxes on sanitary pads for women especially school going age.
Speaking at Ellembele in the Western Region to commemorate 2023 Menstrual Hygiene Day, Dr. Clement Clinton Blay said the 20% tax on menstrual products should be removed swiftly to make them easily accessible.
According to him, this would go a long way to help address the issues of menstrual hygiene health that our women and girls are confronted with on a daily basis to advance their good health and well-being in the country.
He mentioned that inadequate sanitary facilities affect female teenagers causing them to miss classes during their menstruation or even ending thier Education carrier.
“As crucial item on list needed for school, single parents of these teenage girls who cannot afford the pads are compelled to refrain their wards from school, hampering their academic and social progress” he told journalist.
He bemoaned that a number of female students who cannot purchase the pads resort to the use of cloth, towels, toilet rolls among other disturbing unhygienic items during their periods.
In an interview with journalist, Dr. Clement Blay who is a professional pharmacist stressed that most teenage girls surrender to sexual offers from men in order to get money for sanitary pads during their Menstrual period.
He emphasized that several reports from head teachers and the Ghana Health Service discloses that, pregnancy among teenagers between 10 to 17 years was on the rise which situation according to him is destroying the future of many young girls in the country.
This, he expressed concern over the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies in the country, calling on all stakeholders to join the fight against the menace.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.comKaakyire Kwasi Afari
