HEALTHCARE

Delhi gets north India's largest public sector human milk bank

breast-feeding-reuters7617 Early initiation of breastfeeding is only 40 per cent in India, even as institutional delivery has increased to 78.9 per cent | Reuters

The national capital got its first government human milk bank and lactation counselling centre at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) on Wednesday. Milk banks are repositories of breast milk donated by lactating mothers. Experts say they are useful to save pre-term and low birth weight babies who are too weak to suckle and/or their mothers are unable to provide milk because of illness or death, among other reasons. 

According to the union health ministry, the 'Vatsalya — Maatri Amrit Kosh', established in collaboration with the Norwegian government, Oslo University and Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI), would be the largest public sector human milk bank and lactation counselling centre in north India. 

Currently, there are 30 milk banks across the country, most of which are private facilities. Lactating mothers donate their milk here, which is pasteurised, checked for diseases and stored in refrigerators for future use. Commercial milk banks are not allowed in India.

"With this donor human milk bank, all newborns in and around Delhi will have access to life saving human milk regardless of the circumstances of their birth," a statement from the ministry of health and family welfare said. 

The need for human milk banks can be gauged by the grim numbers. Out of the twenty seven million babies born in India annually, 13 per cent are born pre-term, and 28 per cent have low birth weight. Breastfeeding rates are also low in India. Early initiation of breastfeeding is only 40 per cent, even as institutional delivery has increased to 78.9 per cent, said C.K. Mishra, health secretary. 

Last year, the ministry had launched the Mothers Absolute Affection (MAA) programme to create awareness about breastfeeding as the most cost-effective way of enhancing the child’s immunity, he added. The milk bank at LHMC would also provide counselling to women who need support while breastfeeding their babies. 

Though 'Vatsalya — Maatri Amrit Kosh' is a small step in the right direction, India will need many such banks to promote breastfeeding, address neo-natal mortality and counter the use of formula feed among new born babies.

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Topics : #Healthcare

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