Fresh Anonna installs sanitary napkin vending machine at BUET
Fresh Anonna, the feminine hygiene brand of Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), installed a sanitary napkin vending machine at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) on Wednesday as part of a menstrual hygiene and health awareness programme jointly organised with BUET's Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering (MME).
The programme was held at the university's Old Academic Building, according to a press release.
Teachers, students and public health experts attended the event, which focused on menstrual health awareness and access to sanitary products.
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Citing the 2018 National Hygiene Survey, the organisers said only 29% of menstruating women in Bangladesh use sanitary napkins. To address this gap, Fresh Anonna is installing vending machines at educational institutions nationwide.
The machine in the MME department will give female students and staff convenient access to sanitary products. It also lets students buy Fresh Anonna napkins through mobile payment at prices below the market rate.
MGI Director Barrister Tasnim Mostafa inaugurated the machine alongside BUET Faculty of Chemical and Materials Engineering Dean Professor Md Aminul Islam, Dhaka Medical College Vice Principal Professor Musarrat Sultana Sumi, MME Department Head Professor Md Muktadir Billah and MGI Chief Marketing Officer Kazi Md Mohiuddin.
Speaking at the event, Barrister Tasnim Mostafa said, "Menstrual hygiene is not just a matter of personal inconvenience. It is an important issue connected to health, dignity, self-confidence, and equal opportunity."
She said unhygienic alternatives could not substitute for quality sanitary napkins. Menstruation, a normal physical process, should never become an obstacle to women's education, work or daily lives because of misinformation or a lack of access to appropriate products, she added.
"Setting up this vending machine together with BUET's MME department is a small but meaningful step toward that goal," she said.
She added that Fresh Anonna remained committed to expanding such initiatives to more educational institutions and campuses across the country.
Professor Musarrat Sultana Sumi said misconceptions and hesitation surrounding menstruation often delay access to accurate information and timely medical advice, allowing ordinary health issues to become more complicated.
She emphasised hygienic menstrual management and the importance of consulting a doctor promptly when necessary.
The programme also featured a panel discussion titled "Engineering for Her: Together Towards a Better Society" and an open session where female students asked doctors questions about menstrual health and related physical concerns.
BUET Directorate of Students' Welfare Director Professor AKM Masud; Tazkiatul Islam Mohua; MME Department Associate Professor Takian Fakhrul; and MME Department Lecturer Nabila Mahzabin Riya also spoke at the event.
