Tamil Nadu Government to spend Rs 44 Crore for Menstrual Hygiene Programme

The Tamil Nadu government decided to spend Rs 44.15 Crore to provide free sanitary napkins under the Menstrual Hygiene Programme. The Health and Family Welfare Department of the state has issued a government order in this regards which directs the authorities to implement Menstrual Hygiene Programme in Tamil Nadu for the adolescent girls in urban and rural areas, postnatal mothers delivered in the government health institutions and for Women prisoners.

This order also includes the extension of the Menstrual Hygiene Programme in the Institute of Mental Health in the state's capital, Chennai. The order was issued in the context of the announcement made by Chief Minister E Palaniswami on the floor of the legislative assembly session 2020-21 for the extension of Menstrual Hygiene Scheme.

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Scheme extended to 781 Government medical institutions

The order stated that the director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has sent the proposal for the extension of Menstrual Hygiene Programme in the Urban areas and scaling up of the scheme to Women inpatients in 781 Government Medical institutions as detailed below:

• To procure beltless sanitary napkins for adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years in urban areas at the cost of Rs 34.74 crore.
• To procure beltless sanitary napkins to women inpatients in Government hospitals at the cost of Rs 9.41 crore.
• To deliver beltless sanitary napkin for adolescent girls in urban areas directly to government schools and acknowledgement of the same to be obtained by the Urban Health Nurse. The Urban will go to ICDS centre on every Saturday along with Anganwadi workers, they will distribute to girls who are not covered in Government aided schools.
• To deliver beltless sanitary napkin to women inpatients in government health institutions in the reproductive age group (20-49 years) similar to the sanitary napkin delivered to the postnatal mothers in Government.

"The Government directs the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to take action for the procurement of napkins to adolescent Girls in Urban areas and to women inpatients in Government Medical institutions in the reproductive age group of 15-49 years through the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation Limited," the Government order stated.

(Image: PTI)

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