ISLAMABAD (February 15, 2026): — “Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is not just a matter of basic healthcare; it is a foundational pillar of systemic resilience, women’s dignity, and economic continuity,” stated Ms. Uzma Kardar, Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) and Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab.

Ms. Kardar made these remarks while talking to a delegation from the Menstrual Health and Hygiene Working Group (MHMWG) Secretariat Balochistan, who met her in Islamabad to discuss cross-provincial strategies for gender-responsive emergency planning and MHH tax reforms.

During the strategic exchange, Ms. Kardar emphasized that the traditional silos in public health policy must be dismantled. “More collaborative efforts are required across provinces to ensure that we are not just managing crises, but building permanent resilience for our most vulnerable populations,” she said.

Highlighting the proactive approach of the Punjab government, Ms. Kardar noted that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif is a staunch champion of women’s empowerment and is "very keen about the health and hygiene of women and girls." This commitment was recently demonstrated on the ground, where free MHH kits were widely distributed as a critical component of the emergency response in recent flood-affected areas across the province.

The dialogue also heavily focused on the intersection of MHH and female education. Ms. Kardar stressed that proper foundational hygiene is a direct driver of social mobility. “It is absolutely crucial to improve girl students' attendance and bring out-of-school girls back to the classroom by ensuring they have proper MHH facilitation and infrastructure at schools,” she remarked.

Ms. Kardar highly commended the MHMWG Secretariat for their exceptional work in promoting MHH in Balochistan, recognizing their efforts as a model for systemic advocacy.

Aligning with ongoing national conversations regarding economic accessibility, she firmly backed the necessity of economic relief on essential health products. “MHH tax reforms are crucial to improve access and affordability for women across all socio-economic strata,” Ms. Kardar stated, stressing the urgent need for inter-provincial collaborated efforts to formalize these reforms at the national level.

The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement to strengthen inter-provincial pipelines for policy development, ensuring that women’s foundational hygiene and emergency protection remain at the forefront of Pakistan’s disaster risk reduction and health governance frameworks.