Himachal Pradesh’s First Breast Milk Bank Established for Newborns
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Mandi, September 27: Newborns in Himachal Pradesh will no longer have to go without their mother’s milk under any circumstances, and they won’t have to rely on market-bought milk. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Nerchowk is establishing the state’s first breast milk management unit. Machinery worth INR 30 lakh has already been purchased for this unit, with a tender issued for an additional INR 45 lakh worth of machinery.
Dr. D.K. Verma, the Principal of the Medical College in Nerchowk, stated that the State Nodal Officer, Dr. Anupam Badan, and two staff nurses have completed their training in Rajasthan. A decision has been made to start this unit completely by November, and work in this direction has already begun. The establishment of this unit will ensure that no newborn is deprived of their mother’s milk, which is considered the optimal nutrition for infants.
The breast milk management unit will collect and process mother’s milk. Women can voluntarily donate their milk, and this milk will be stored for up to six months. If a child is in the ICU and the mother cannot breastfeed, the child can be fed with the mother’s milk using a machine. The milk that remains will be stored with the mother’s consent.
This milk can only be fed to other children after obtaining the mother’s permission and conducting all necessary tests on the milk. This unit will prove to be more effective for children whose mothers cannot breastfeed due to serious illnesses after childbirth. It will also provide orphaned children with access to their mother’s milk. In the future, similar care centers will be established in other hospitals in the district.
