Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada): The Lady Goschen Hospital in Mangaluru has decided to set up a human milk bank in order to save newborns dying from the lack of breast milk. The hospital, a well-known government maternity hospital in Dakshina Kannada district, sees footfalls from seven districts and around 700 to 750 childbirths a month.
Human milk or breast milk will help premature babies with low birth weight as well as infants who lost their mother during delivery. Feeding breast milk to such babies can help them to recover fastly. It will boost immunity levels and help them fight infections.
The hospital is going to start the human milk bank at the cost of Rs45 lakhs in association with the Rotary Club of Mangaluru.
"Around 700-750 childbirths take place in our hospital. 30% of babies among them are premature babies and low birth weight babies. Some babies lose their mothers and some babies cannot get milk as there is no milk in their mother's breast.
"Also some abandoned babies will be there. To save these babies breast milk is necessary. Mother's breast milk consists of more amount immunoglobulin, protein, fats, saline and other factors", Dr Durgaprasad MR, medical superintendent of the hospital, said.
A human milk bank or breast milk bank is a service which collects, screens, processes, and dispenses by prescription human milk donated by nursing mothers who are not biologically related to the recipient infant. Bottles of pumped breast milk to be transferred to bags and frozen for donation.
