The Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Dzifa Gomashie has called on the government to honour its promise to scrap taxes on sanitary products as advocacy intensifies on issues of menstrual hygiene.

According to the Ketu South MP, access to sanitary products remains a huge challenge among women and girls in the country as a result of high prices driven by taxes.

Speaking during an event to mark this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day, she applauded the government for the removal of taxes on raw materials for companies that produce sanitary towels in Ghana but insisted that the government has a lot more to do in this regard.

She said, “I want to remind our government of the promise to scrap taxes off ‘our period, our blood.’ Even as we appreciate the removal of taxes on raw materials for companies that produce sanitary towels in Ghana, I dare say it is woefully inadequate.”

“There are only about three companies currently producing and they do not have the capacity to produce for the whole country. I believe if our government can consider giving tax exemptions to about 42 companies under the 1D1F then our government can remove taxes off our blood. We appeal to government and parliament to take a second look at the policies and tax regimes which will be more gender-sensitive,” she added.

She urged women, especially girls to discuss menstrual hygiene issues openly and not consider menstruation as a taboo.

As part of activities to mark the year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day, the MP, a known gender advocate led an initiative to distribute sanitary pads to pupils in selected basic schools in her constituency supported by three NGO’s including the Ghanavi Foundation, Uriel Impact Generation and Afrika Nyornu.

The Ketu South Municipal Girl Child Education Officer, Cecilia Dokli in an interview revealed that the issue of period poverty continues to impact the education of young girls in the Municipality.

She lamented that several other socio-cultural factors remain a barrier to issues of menstrual health in the area but was quick to indicate that the education directorate is intensifying activities across the municipality to promote menstrual health issues.

The World Menstrual Hygiene Day is marked every 28th May to highlight the significance of menstrual health which is linked to the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of women and girls in relation to the menstrual cycle.