A health reporter with Daar Communications Plc, Ms. Ogom Ezedimbu, in partnership with Silver Cross Hospital Abuja, has donated 500 sanitary pads to the female students of Government Secondary School Garki, Abuja in a bid to enhance menstrual hygiene.
The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Patrick Ezie, during an awareness talk on menstrual hygiene on Tuesday in Abuja, said future healthy sexual and reproductive lifestyles should begin from menstrual hygiene.
The campaign was done in commemoration of the 2024 International Women’s Day and to mark the 40th birthday of Ezedimbu.
Ezie said that it was important to raise more awareness of sexual education, menstrual hygiene, and healthy reproductive lifestyles among young girls.
According to him, with the high rate of preventable diseases faced by young girls, it is necessary to bring more awareness to the need for menstrual hygiene and other healthy lifestyles.
“We have a lot of conditions we see in the very preventable hospitals but because of the lack of knowledge, this medical condition gets worse.
“For instance, a young girl can have an infection and leave it untreated because she is afraid to open up and is clueless about who to talk to.
“But with such intervention as this sensitization or awareness campaign, these young girls will become more aware of their reproductive capacity and would be able to make better health decisions,” he said.
He said that the hospital was proud to partner with the health reporter of Daar Communications to carry out the humanitarian act.
On her part, Ms. Ezedimbu said it became necessary to raise awareness of the need for menstrual hygiene for young girls because of the future repercussions of bad health choices
According to her, bad health choices have left many women with numerous reproductive health challenges today, especially infertility.
“This campaign which is organized to celebrate my 40th birthday anniversary, has been my long-term vision of reaching out to young girls and vulnerable groups in the society.
“There is a gap when it comes to sex education in Nigeria and those gaps need to be filled.
“Young girls need to know what is going on in their bodies sexually, unfortunately, most of them do not have this knowledge and that is exactly what we are trying to inform them about,” she said.
Ezedimbu said that there was a need for the Ministry of Education, as a matter of urgency, to incorporate sexual education in the school curriculum to meet the knowledge needs of young girls.
She urged the governments at all levels to take the initiative, to protect the future of the girl child through the introduction of sexual education.
Ezedimbu said that with such a subject or course, both young boys and girls would get to learn about hygiene, its importance, and other basic knowledge about the body.
The student beneficiaries appreciated the hospital and the journalist for bringing such a timely campaign on menstrual hygiene and sexual and reproductive education to the school.
One of the female students, Ms Blessing Mathew, said that the free sanitary pad donation was timely, as sanitary pads were now expensive to purchase.
The school management appreciated the hospital for the free medical check-ups for students and teachers and the free sanitary pad donation.
