HEALTH Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa is poised to spearhead policies to overcome period poverty in Malaysia.

To start, she has initiated a free sanitary pads drive at her office.

Speaking at the ministry’s monthly assembly today – her first – Zaliha said menstrual products will be available for free in the washrooms of the Health Ministry complex.

And she has plans to expand the effort to other ministries if the pilot programme is well received. 

“As the first female health minister, I have to do my part to address period poverty,” she told about 500 civil servants at the assembly.

“I previously worked on period poverty issues with NGOs but that was on a smaller scale. I believe that it is now time to address the matter on a policy level,” she said.

She said her ministry will also be looking into how period poverty concerns can be alleviated in Budget 2023.

“We will see what can be upgraded in Budget 2023. This is our kick-off point,” she said.

She said she would need other government agencies to help create awareness of menstrual issues.

Period poverty is a global issue affecting women who do not have access to safe, hygienic menstrual products. This can have severe consequences on their health and education.

Selangor was the first state in the country to introduce a free sanitary pads programme. – December 12, 2022.