A mother’s milk bank is scheduled to be inaugurated at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) in Belagavi within the next fortnight to alleviate the shortage of breast milk for newborns.
Authorities have indicated that the milk will be sourced from healthy mothers, undergo processing, and be stored at the milk bank before being distributed to infants who require it.
A government-initiated mother’s milk bank is currently functioning at the government hospital in Bengaluru. The forthcoming establishment in Belagavi will mark the second milk bank in the state. Breast milk is crucial for newborns as it offers essential nutrients for disease prevention.
The insufficient milk supply in some mothers can impact the child’s development. To address this issue, an innovative solution is being implemented by establishing a mother’s milk bank at the Belagavi district hospital.
Several pregnant women admitted to the district hospital for delivery face challenges in producing sufficient milk post-delivery. As a result, some infants experience mortality or illness. To mitigate this scarcity, a milk bank is being organized at the district hospital.
Healthy mothers donate milk, which is then stored in the milk bank and provided to infants in need.
Ashok Kumar Shetty, Director of BIMS, announced the establishment of a milk bank at Belagavi Hospital to support undernourished and unwell children. Preparations are underway for the setup of a mother’s milk bank adjacent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at BIMS. Necessary equipment such as a milkshake machine, deep freezer, refrigerator, laminar flow hood, pasteurizer, and hot air oven have been procured for the milk bank.
The mother’s milk bank at BIMS is scheduled to commence operations in the first or second week of June, following the conclusion of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for elections. Currently, a similar milk bank operates in a government hospital in Bengaluru, making Belagavi home to the second one in the state. Additionally, it was clarified that a mother’s milk bank operated by Rotary is operational at the Mangalore Government Hospital. The milk collected from 3-5 mothers is pasteurized to ensure even distribution of nutrients.
The medical staff at BIMS will provide this milk to infants without families, premature babies, and infants whose mothers have passed away.
Physicians at BIMS mentioned that healthy hospitalized mothers can choose to donate milk voluntarily. The breast milk from donors undergoes proper collection and acceptance procedures. Prior consent is obtained from the donor mother, and essential tests are conducted to ensure the absence of infections. Various categories of mothers, including voluntary donors, bereaved mothers, working mothers, and those with excess milk, can contribute to the milk bank.
