Menstruation health management state of affairs in Bangladesh is awfully alarming as 80 percent girls are accustomed to using old pieces of cloth during their monthly period, according to a joint study on national hygiene.
The study has also found that only 40 percent ‘khana’ (dwelling area) have the facility of hand wash with soap and water after using toilet, although most of the populace claim they are aware of health manners.
According to the study report, about 40 percent girls on do not go to school for three days on average during their menstrual period and they re-use the old piece of cloth without washing in a healthy manner nor dry such used cloth properly.
The report said that in the 40 percent ‘khana’ (dwelling area), it has been found that the culture of washing hands after using toilet is very poor even after having soap and water. Besides, only 35 percent schools have the facility of hand wash with soap and water.
The preliminary survey report was released at a function held in the city’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel on Thursday.
The report has been prepared by measuring the health manners of school students at ‘khana’ levels. In addition, it has also scaled up the rate of the health manners of doctors, nurses, restaurants, and on menstruation health of girls at national level.
Policy Support Unit of Local Government Division (LGD) has conducted the “Baseline Survey on National Hygiene” in association with ICDDR,B.
LGD secretary-in-charge KM Mozammel Huq unveiled the report as chief guest while Director General of Directorate of Health Services Nur Hossain Talukder and Additional Secretary of LGD Zuena Aziz were present as special guests.
ICDDR,B deputy executive director Abbas Bhuiyan and Water Aid Bangladesh Country Representative Dr Khairul Islam spoke on the occasion.
International Development Organization Water Aid has provided financial assistance while Stamford University, USA has provided technical cooperation for the study.
Researchers claim that the survey conducted in Bangladesh was the first of its kind among the developing countries.
The report said one-third restaurants have provision for its workers to wash hands with soap. A poor number of restaurants used to cover up food while half of the restaurants wash plates and dishes keeping those in the unchanged water time and again.
However, in the hospitals, the researchers have found much modern facilities for washing hands. Nearly 90 percent hospitals have the provision of hand wash system. But, the researchers during their five hours’ observation in the hospitals noticed the actual hand wash with soap in only 2 to 29 percent cases.
About toilets, the researchers have found most of those were locked. It witnessed one toilet against 187 students where the ideal situation demands one toilet for each 50 students.
The development activists, who attended the function, demanded mandatory introduction of hand wash with soap as the indicator of skilfulness in health sector. They also suggested both the government and donors to invest in launching campaign for changing manners at national level to avoid health hazards.
Source: UNBConnect
