A human milk bank with a capacity of 1,000 litres was inaugurated at the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Tiruppur on Monday.
The milk bank, which was set up in collaboration with Rotary Avinashi East and NGO Achintya, was inaugurated by the hospital’s Dean-cum-Special Officer R. Murugesan.
Breastfeeding Week
President of Rotary Avinashi East Vichitra Senthilkumar said the inauguration was done to mark the World Breastfeeding Week observed from August 1 to 7. Rotary Avinashi East sponsored the equipment and will look after the logistics to safely transport breast milk from donors to the hospital, she said.
“We are planning to conduct awareness programmes to encourage donation of human milk,” Ms. Vichitra said, adding that such awareness events will be held at the primary health centres in Udumalpet and Avinashi in Tiruppur district to encourage lactating mothers from rural areas to donate milk.
Priya Visuvasam, nodal officer for the Special Newborn Care Unit at GMCH, Tiruppur, said the human milk bank will help in streamlining the supply for babies that were preterm, abandoned or whose mothers could not breastfeed due to medical issues in the hospital.
“As of now, we require about 500 ml to one litre [human] milk per day,” she noted, adding that the donated human milk will be stored for up to six months using the equipment at the milk bank.
