Tema, May 29, GNA – Pupils of the First Baptist School in Tema Community Five have been sensitized on the importance of good menstrual hygiene and health.
The sensitization programme was in commemoration of Menstrual Hygiene Day, which seeks to address the challenges and hardships women and girls face during their menstruation.
Ms Emelda Irene Naa Sueley Adjei, Public Health and Health Promotion Officer at the Tema Polyclinic, explained that poor menstrual hygiene caused by the lack of education on the issue, stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products and poor infrastructure, undermined the educational opportunities and overall social status of women and girls.
Therefore, she said, it was important for stakeholders to bring together actions and renewed efforts to promote good menstrual health and hygiene for girls, who were sometimes ignorant about menstruation.
She said it was important to break the silence and create enough sensitization among girls and boys to change the negative social perceptions and norms around menstrual health at home and in schools.
Menstrual Health Management, she noted, referred to the access of menstrual hygiene products to absorb and collect the flow of blood during menstruation, the privacy to change the materials and access to dispose of used menstrual materials properly.
She advised the girls to, at all times use, clean menstrual materials and after a few hours, take them off and neatly fold the used pads, put them in disposable bags before disposing of them in bins, to prevent infections.
“Do not put it in a closet and flush; after properly disposing of it, wash your hands thoroughly with soap under running water before placing another into your panty,” she explained.
Mrs Vida Inkoom, a Teacher of the Tema First Baptist School, said the sensitization programme, which is an annual undertaking, seeks not only to create awareness on the importance of good menstrual hygiene but also to dispel the misconceptions of menstruation among boys in the school.
She said: “Girls go through a lot of challenges when it gets to that time of the month and if they are not given the needed education on their menstrual health, they will do things that are detrimental to their health.”
Mrs Inkoom, who is also in charge of the School’s Girls Club, indicated that the menstrual hygiene education was to ensure that girls managed their periods in healthy ways that enabled their full participation in school and other activities.
Ms Jemima Amoako, a Municipal Health Promotion Officer, Tema West Municipal Health Directorate, and Ms Mary Kissiwaa, a Registered Nurse at the Tema Polyclinic, both demonstrated to the girls how to properly use sanitary pads, and advised them to change them regularly to prevent infections.
“It is not a good idea to go an entire school day without changing pads or panty liners; no matter how light your flow is or even if there is no flow, bacteria can build up so changing your pad every three or four hours, is good hygiene and helps prevents bad odour,” they advised.
GNA