Ernakulam General Hospital plans mobile human milk collection unit
Unit to collect breast milk from donor lactating mothers outside the hospital; move aimed at strengthening human milk bank and bringing more mothers into donor network
Ernakulam General Hospital (GH) plans to launch a mobile human milk collection unit to enhance its human milk bank and provide optimal nutrition to newborns. The joint initiative between the district administration and the Health department aims to strengthen the existing milk bank and encourage more lactating mothers to donate milk.
The mobile unit will operate similarly to a mobile blood bank, collecting breast milk from donors at their convenience following sterile procedures. The unit will be staffed by four individuals, including a lactation counsellor, and equipped with the necessary tools for safe milk collection and storage. Dr. Prebhudas, GH Superintendent, highlighted the need to expand the hospital's milk bank efforts as they currently cater to newborns at the hospital, while occasionally assisting other hospitals and private individuals.
Currently, the milk bank at GH collects milk from lactating mothers within the hospital, which is then provided free of cost to meet the nutritional needs of newborns. Although milk can be stored for up to six months, it is generally utilized within two weeks. The district Health officer emphasized that while the hospital provides free milk to meet external requirements, replacement is rarely done. The mobile collection unit is expected to bring more mothers into the system and optimize nutrition for newborns.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
