A deep dive into women’s health and family planning in Meghalaya

In Meghalaya, the complex issue of menstrual hygiene has been a source of concern for years. In the recently concluded autumn Assembly session, the issue was brought to light once again when the Minister-in-charge of Health and Family Welfare attested to the data points hashed by the National Family Health Survey – 5.

NFHS-5 statistics paint a bleak picture, showing that only 65.3% of women aged between 15-49 resort to hygienic menstrual protection methods. This distressing figure ranks Meghalaya third from the bottom when compared to other Indian states.

Comparatively, NFHS-4 data, gathered five years prior, reported a similarly concerning figure of 64.2% for the state. This near-stagnant growth rate over a five-year period signals that the roadblocks in addressing menstrual hygiene in Meghalaya are deep-seated and intricate.