HYDERABAD: The State government on Thursday announced that it has decided to distribute adolescent health kits to girl students studying in classes 8 to 12 in state-run schools and colleges. The health kit will include a zipper bag, a water bottle and six-packs of sanitary napkins for 2022-23 while the kit of 12 packs of sanitary napkins for 2023-24 will be without bag and bottle. As many as 11 lakh kits will be distributed in 2022-23 and 22 lakh in the next year.
The government has sanctioned Rs 69.52 crore for the kits, according to an order issued in this regard on November 16. The expenditure for these kits would be met from the National Health Mission (NHM) funds. The government has asked the commissioner of Health and Family Welfare and director, NHM, Hyderabad to take action accordingly.
The decision is important considering that 17 per cent of women in the age group of 15-24 in Telangana use cloth for menstrual protection. Improper hygiene management of cloth pads leads to urinary tract infections.