Soon, a human milk bank in Kochi

KOCHI: Indian Medical Association (IMA), along with the Rotary Clubs of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, have proposed the creation of human milk banks at Ernakulam General Hospital and Jubilee Mission Hospital in Thrissur. The project will be launched during World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7.
They have already discussed the idea with the health department and general hospital authorities to work out the modalities on setting up the milk bank in the pediatric department.Hospital authorities said under the initiative, they would provide some space for the setting up the facilities without investment.

The concept of a human milk bank is new to Kerala, yet it is functioning in many hospitals in neighbouring Tami Nadu. Doctors said that such banks are primarily focused to provide donor milk to high-risk infants at neonatal units. Donors would be found in large numbers to help infants whose mothers cannot lactate after delivery.
“This would be more useful than the formula milk powder that is given to babies,” said IMA Kochi president Junaid Rehman. Therapeutic benefits of breastmilk are noted in short bowel syndrome, sepsis etc.
The minimum requirement is a partitioned room with a pasteurizer, deep freezer, autoclave, breastmilk pumps and milk analyser. The milk can be preserved for nearly three months. “We are working out the logistics and hope to launch the facility at the general hospital in August first week,” said R Madhav Chandran who will be the Rotary district (3201) governor for 2019-2020 from July 1 in Kochi.
He said the milk bank was envisaged under the project ‘Nectar of Life’, which will collect & store mothers’ milk for infants who do not receive milk from their mothers. “We are also launching one such facility at the Govt Medical College, Colombo. The milk bank at Coimbatore Medical College will also be refurbished under this project,” he said.
Chandran said that service projects worth Rs 20 crore will be launched on the occasion. Other initiatives being planned are pediatric heart surgeries to correct congenital heart diseases in 200 infants with the collaboration of Amrita hospital at Rs 6 crore. Adoption of pediatric cancer ward at Ramakrishna Hospital in Coimbatore, setting up two Rotary dialysis centres in Cochin, adopting 150 schools under Responsible India project, treatment for burn victims at Ganga Hospital in Coimbatore (5 crore) under the ‘Hope after Fire’ project, breast cancer treatment for 100 women at Amrita hospital.