Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet today approved a proposal to expand the existing KHUSI scheme to KHUSI+ by expanding the supply of free distribution of belted sanitary napkins to Institutional Delivery & post Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) cases in Govt. facilities in 30 districts.
As a part of an initiative to empower women and ensure better health and hygiene for them, the Government of Odisha launched the KHUSI Scheme in the year 2018 for the free distribution of sanitary napkins for adolescent girls from Class 6th to Class 12th, in all Government and Government aided schools in 314 Blocks and 05 Municipal Corporations.
Owing to successful implementation of the scheme, in Odisha as many as 81.5% of women are using hygienic methods of protection during their menstrual period, which is among the highest in the country and higher than the national average of 77.3 % as per NFHS 5 report The State Government has now expanded the existing scheme to KHUSI+, by expanding the supply of free distribution of belted sanitary napkins to Institutional Delivery & post Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) cases in Govt. facilities in 30 districts.
The main objective of the KHUSI+ Scheme is to increase access to good quality sanitary napkins, create awareness on menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls and to improve personal hygiene in the institutional delivery and MTP cases resulting in reduction of the incidents of maternal mortality and morbidity in the State.
The scheme is implemented by the Health & Family Welfare Department of the Government of Odisha under the State budget with an outlay of Rs 511.93 crore for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-2026. Under the Scheme free Sanitary Napkins will be provided to 17,83,901 nos of girl students studying in Class 6th to Class 12th in Government and Government-aided schools and to all institutional delivery and MTP cases in Government health facilities.
Odisha State Medical Corporation is the nodal agency for the procurement, distribution and monitoring of the KHUSI+ Scheme. The Scheme will go a long way in promoting health and hygiene among adolescent girls and to reduce the incidence of maternal mortality and morbidity in the State.
