J&K to get maiden Human Milk Bank at Gandhinagar Hospital Jammu

Jammu, Jul 4: Jammu and Kashmir’s first ever Human Milk Bank (Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre) has been set up at Government Maternity and Child Care Hospital, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu.
As per officials, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (GoI) has accorded sanction for setting up the first-ever Milk Bank (Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre) at MCH Gandhi Nagar-Jammu, which already running state of art 150 bedded NICU and taking load of SMGS Hospital as well as periphery to manage all sick neonates.
In an official communiqué to the Principal of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, said, “Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI has approved Rs 47.20 lakh i.e Rs 16.61 lakh for infrastructure and Rs 30.59 lakh for equipment, furniture, supplies, consumables, and maintenance cost for the establishment of ‘Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre”.
Sharing details of the initiative’s importance in enhancing maternal and child health care services in the region, Dr. Arun Sharma, Medical Superintendent of MCH Gandhi Nagar said the idea of Milk bank is to encourage mothers endowed with surplus milk to donate it. Mothers, who unfortunately lost their infants or women who had a failed delivery are also considered probable donors, he said.
He added the need of human milk bank was felt as some new-born babies remain ill or admitted in ICUs of hospitals and their mothers cannot breastfeed them owing to several reasons such as sickness, inadequate lactation, IVF due to which they remain deprived of mother’s milk.
“The human milk bank will benefit all those babies whose mothers are unable to breastfeed their babies due to illness, infection or some other issues as formula milk cannot provide all the essential nutrients,” he said, adding, “Once the bank comes up, we would be able to breastfeed such babies.”
The officer said that after scientifically testing the donors, the milk collected from them will be pasteurised and stored in deep freezers at the bank to be used for a maximum period of three months. The collected milk will be fed to infants free of cost, he said. (KNO)