NEWLY-minted Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa took to her Facebook page last night (Dec 13) to clarify her plan to combat period poverty after her earlier statement was met with criticism and confusion on Monday (Dec 12).
According to Dr Zaliha, the plan to start the initiative at the ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya is only meant to see how the initiative can be put into operation and garner immediate feedback.
“We will start at the minister’s office first, and after that (we will expand it) throughout the ministry. And then, maybe, we can cooperate with other agencies and ministries,” Bernama reported Dr Zaliha as saying.
“This initiative may seem small, but it can have a major impact in managing period poverty, as well as menstrual health and women’s reproductive system.”
Period poverty
Dr Zaliha’s initiative is also supported by the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).
“Women’s healthcare in this country needs to be stressed upon and should start from basic self-care such as hygiene during menstruation,” MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman told Bernama.
Furthermore, MEF has also urged private employers to collaborate with the Health Ministry to provide free sanitary pads as a means of addressing period poverty. – Dec 14, 2022
Main photo credit: Dr Zaliha’s Facebook
