• Source:JND
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The process of establishing a milk bank at Noida’s Child PGI has once again gained momentum. According to hospital administration, all necessary equipment will arrive within three months, after which the milk bank will become operational. This initiative has been undertaken with the aim of protecting infants from infections and strengthening their immunity.

In this direction, a breastfeeding management unit has already been launched at the institute. This unit has been initiated with the support of Sushena Health Foundation (SHF) and Dhatri Mothers Milk Bank. The breastfeeding management unit will assist lactating mothers and provide them with guidance on proper breastfeeding techniques and its benefits. Now, the process of setting up the milk bank is also progressing with the collaboration of Dhatri Mothers Milk Bank.

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According to a hospital research study, 40 to 50 per cent of the infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Child PGI suffer from septicemia. Many of these require ventilator support.

As per doctors' reports, around 70 per cent of such infants rely entirely on packaged milk or a combination of mother's milk and formula milk, which weakens their immune systems. This is the reason behind the plan to start the milk bank. An agreement for this was signed between the institute and the concerned organisation in March 2023, but delays occurred due to certain reasons.

The objective of the milk bank is to ensure that mothers who, for some reason, are unable to breastfeed their infants can safely obtain donor milk through the bank. Therefore, a new agreement was signed again in March 2024, under which the milk bank was scheduled to start in October. However, due to some issues, it was delayed once again. But now PGI has renewed the process with urgency. A meeting with the partner organisation has also been held regarding this.

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“Some of the required equipment has already arrived at the institute, and the remaining will be made available soon. It is expected that the milk bank will be fully operational within the next three to four months,” Amar Ujala quoted Child PGI Director Dr Arun Kumar Singh as saying.