In a significant health initiative, a mother’s milk bank is being set up at the District Hospital in Vijayapura, North Karnataka. This project, a collaboration between the Sushena Health Foundation, Hyderabad, and the District Hospital, aims to enhance neonatal care by providing essential mother’s milk to premature and high-risk newborns.
The Comprehensive Lactation Management Unit-Mother Milk Bank will follow National Health Mission guidelines to ensure safe and efficient milk collection and distribution. This initiative, formalized with a mutual agreement signed in the presence of District Collector T Bhubalan, is expected to help reduce mortality rates and address malnutrition in newborns at no cost.
Key figures involved in the project include:
- Dr. Shivananda Mastiholi, District Hospital surgeon
- T Bhubalan, District Collector
- Dr. Santosh Kumar Carlity, General Secretary, Sushena Health Foundation
- UNICEF Health Expert Dr. Sridhara Ryavanki
- Various local medical professionals
The milk bank will benefit infants who are low birth weight, have undergone surgery, or whose mothers are unable to breastfeed. This initiative follows successful models like Asia’s first human milk bank at Sion Hospital, which has significantly contributed to newborn care.
This effort reflects a growing recognition of the vital role of breast milk in improving infant health outcomes, similar to blood donations in their lifesaving potential.
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