Context: Sion Hospital in Mumbai, home to Asia’s first breast milk bank, has seen over 43,000 mothers donate milk, benefiting 10,500 newborns over the past five years.
- Milk Collection Process: Milk is donated by nursing mothers, then it undergoes rigorous testing, pasteurization, and is stored at temperatures below -20°C to ensure its safety for infants.
- Impact: This initiative significantly contributes to reducing mortality rates among low birth weight and at-risk newborns.
- Eligibility for Donation: Any healthy lactating mother without conditions such as HIV, hepatitis, or venereal diseases is eligible to donate breast milk.
Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh
- Overview: This is a national human milk bank and lactation counseling center, dedicated to collecting, pasteurizing, testing, and storing breast milk for infants in need.
- Establishment: It was set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in collaboration with the Norwegian government, Oslo University, and the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).
- Services: The center offers lactation counseling to breastfeeding mothers and serves as a model for teaching, training, and demonstrating the operations of other milk banks.
MAA – Mother’s Absolute Affection Programme
- Purpose: This nationwide initiative by MoHFW aims to promote breastfeeding and provide counseling services within the healthcare system.
- Activities: The program runs awareness campaigns, strengthens lactation support in healthcare facilities, and rewards those with high breastfeeding rates and effective management practices.