The Lady Pharmacists Association of Ghana has made a passionate appeal on the government and all other stakeholders to work towards eradicating period poverty in Ghana. This was contained in a press statement signed by the Chairperson of the group, Pharm. Lucia Addae and the national Secretary, Pharm. Fareeda Serwaa Brobbey.

According to the group, “95% of girls in rural communities in Ghana miss around 20% of their school hours due to lack of access to sanitary pads. Many young girls and adolescents who menstruate are forced to use inadequate materials to build makeshift products or use period products for a prolonged time—in both cases, increasing the chance of reproductive and urinary tract infections among other harmful outcomes.”

LAPAG is therefore calling on the government and other policy makers to “remove the 20% import tax on sanitary products, exempt these products from the 12.5% Value Added Tax and implement price control mechanisms to make these essential products more affordable and accessible”.

“Addressing these issues and ensuring that menstrual hygiene products are considered essential, it can help improve the health and well-being of girls and women in Ghana and beyond.  LAPAG wants to take this opportunity to applaud activists and political leaders, governments, NGOs, donor agencies etc, who are increasingly devising policies to make sanitary products more accessible, not only through tax reduction, but also other measures such as subsidies or free distribution”, the statement concludes.

Read the full release here… https://ghanapharmaceuticaljournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/LAPAG-_MHD-Edited-1.pdf