Rajasthan’s first State-run human milk bank, “Jeevan Dhara”, was inaugurated by Health Minister Rajendra Rathore at the Mahila Chikitsalaya here on Thursday. He said the government would set up such banks across the State.
The first mother’s milk bank in the State was started by a non-governmental organisation in a government hospital in Udaipur.
“Jeevan Dhara” has been started in collaboration with the Norwegian government and JK Lon Hospital, and aims to collect excess breast milk from lactating mothers and provide it to infants deprived of it. Mr. Rathore said the bank would follow international guidelines to ensure safety in the collection and supply of breast milk. The infant mortality rate in Rajasthan is 47 per 1,000 live births, which is expected to come down substantially when infants get breast milk.
Even as the concept of human milk bank is picking up, experts have warned of the harmful effects of its online buying. The online market in human milk, growing fastest in the U.S., is now gaining popularity elsewhere, largely among mothers ineligible for milk from milk banks.
This article has been corrected for an editing error.
