Member of Parliament for Ada East Comfort Doyoe Ghansah said all women in Ghana deserve to have equal access to menstrual pads.

The Ada MP who reiterated that some women in Ghana are unable to afford sanitary pads during their period, wants government to make menstrual pads freely available to women who cannot afford to buy them.

Explaining the ordeal of women in rural areas who do not practice proper menstrual hygiene due to their inability to afford buy sanitary pads, the Ada MP noted most of them have to resort to the use of foreign materials including pieces of red cloth which they wash and reuse several times, mostly drying them in their rooms as they cannot dry them outside.

She indicated that this practice causes infection in these women as they do not practice proper menstrual hygiene, which later develops into “candidiasis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, infertility and blockage of tube.”

The Ada MP therefore urged government to work to ensure that all women across the country, particularly rural communities, regardless of their economic status have equal access to sanitary pads.

According to her, all women “deserve this.” 

She stated: “All that we’re crying for us women, is we all deserve this, as our children use this we’re crying for the poor for the rural or the farmers or the rural communities who cannot afford this to get it free of charge from the government.”

“Mr Speaker we’re pleading we’re crying…” the Ada East MP appealed.

The MP was speaking in Parliament on Monday, 27 November 2023.