The first mothers’ milk bank in Rajasthan was inaugurated by health minister AA Khan in Udaipur on Sunday. It’s a unique milk bank, opened with an aim to provide milk to those infants whose mothers are not healthy enough to feed their infants. Khan said that such milk banks are the need of the hour.
The milk bank will be called Divya Mothers Milk Bank which has been opened at Panna Dhai Hospital, Udaipur with the support of NGO called Maa Bhagwati Vikas Sansthan.
Khan said, “Foster mothers and wet nursing has been a tradition of India and through modern techniques of pasteurization and storage this milk can be made available to thousands of infants and millions of young lives can be saved.” He added, “If more banks like this are established in the state and the nation then the infant mortality rate can be reduced tremendously.”
Devendra Agarwal, founder of the NGO, who is supporting this initiative, said, “We have taken this step as malnutrition and infant mortality is high. Providing mothers’ milk to infants can save lives of countless babies who are deprived of mothers’ milk due to many reasons.”
He claimed that it is not only the first one in Rajasthan but it is one-of-its kind in North India. The donation of milk will start from Monday and the infants requiring milk will start getting it from Tuesday.
Agarwal said that the milk will be provided to the infants in intensive care unit, infants with life-threatening diseases or conditions, multiple birth babies whose mothers can’t keep up with the milk required to nourish their infants, mothers who are on medications that may pass into their milk and which can be harmful for the infant.
The milk bank officials said that the women who can donate milk will be mothers of premature infants, mothers who have given birth to stillborn infants. They would be provided adequate counselling so that they come forward and donate milk whole heartedly. Even lactating mothers – who are nursing their own babies but still have surplus milk can donate.
The official said the women who will donate their milk will not be financially compensated. They will donate because they know their milk can save the lives of premature and ill babies.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/First-mothers-milk-bank-opens-in-Udaipur/articleshow/19549923.cms