Mother milk banks get big push, 1,436 women donate 244 litres Breastfeeding at an all time high in state
A NOBLE INITIATIVE Government set up the milk banks with an aim to bring down infant mortality rate in Rajasthan
As many as 1,436 women donated 243.80 litres of breast milk between September last year and February at eight government milk banks in Rajasthan, an official said.
Chief minister Vasundhara Raje had announced to set up mother milk banks at district hospitals of Alwar, Banswara, Baran, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Beawar (Ajmer), Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu and Tonk with a cost of ₹1 crore each to provide mother’s milk to newborn babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) whose mothers are unable to breastfeed them.
The larger aim of the initiative is to reduce infant mortality rate (IMR), which is 47 per 1,000 live births in Rajasthan, according to the sample registration system (SRS), 2013.
The first of these banks opened in Bharatpur on September 1, 2016. The Alwar bank also opened the same month. The remaining eight became operational this year. Maximum donation was received at the Alwar milk bank where 779 women donated 152,306ml of milk through 1,279 sittings. This was followed by the Bharatpur bank where 554 women donated 81,920ml through 956 sittings.
Only these two milk banks are allowed to issue donated milk to infants in hospitals, said Devendra Agarwal, adviser to the state health department for the project. The other eight banks are only storing donated milk for now. By the end of February, 1,520 units of milk were in stock at the eight banks.
Donation is voluntary, and milk is provided to needy infants free of cost, Agarwal said.
For each of the government banks, eight staff are sanctioned – six general nursing midwives (GNMs) and two class 4 employees. A senior paediatrician of the hospital is officer in-charge of the bank. Among the GNMs, one is designated as manager, one as office in-charge, one each in-charge of donor and processing rooms, and two as counsellors for outdoor and indoor patients.
Each of the 10 government banks, Agarwal said, has a donor capacity of eight – meaning that eight mothers could donate milk at one time – processing capacity of 70 units, and storage capacity of 700 units. “Our aim is not to be a bank of mother milk but to promote breastfeeding,” he added. After fulfilling hospital needs, the banks will reach out to preterm and low-birth weight infants.
Doctors say mother milk can be kept for six hours at room temperature, for 24 hours in a fridge, and for 72 hours in freezers.
Breastfeeding newborns within an hour of birth in Rajasthan has registered a sharp increase, a recent survey has revealed.
The survey by the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16), states that 28.4% children in the state were breastfed within an hour of birth, up from 13.3% in 2005-06.
Despite breastfeeding being the cheapest method of preventing infant mortality rate (IMR) and fight malnutrition, a number of districts Rajasthan lagging behind, the survey said.
The three best performing districts in which newborns were breastfed within an hour of their births included Baran with 44.1%, followed by Tonk with 43% and Churu with 41.9%. Rajsamand with 14.6%, Bikaner 16.1% and Dungarpur 17.5%. The other districts are between 18.5% and 38%.
Children breastfed exclusively for six months has increased to 58.2% from 33.2% in NFHS-3 (2005-06). The top districts were Churu at 91.3%, Jhunjhunu 89.1% and Jaipur 72.4%, while the low performing districts were Barmer 34.9%, Chittorgarh 35.9% and Bundi 36.5%.
Compared to new born babies been breastfed within an hour, the percentage of children exclusively breastfed for six months is much better in districts, as it ranges from 40% to 65%.
Director Reproductive and Child Health Dr VK Mathur over said still social and traditional beliefs are strong, due to which many children remain deprived from mother’s milk within one hour of birth. Along with certain problems like suckling problem in which the newborn is unable to suck and others too are responsible for newborn not getting milk within an hour of birth.
Breast milk provides all of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals an infant needs for growth for the first six months, and no other liquids or food are needed. In addition, breast milk carries antibodies from the mother that help combat disease, he added.
He said the MAA (Mothers’ Absolute Affection) scheme was launched in Rajasthan in August 2016 to ensure awareness is generated among the masses, especially lactating mothers, about the benefits of breastfeeding.
Accredited social health activists and other healthcare workers are creating awareness about breastfeeding at the community level and at health centres for lactating mother and their family members along with people about the importance of breastfeeding, he said. “The department is making all efforts to convince mothers of newborns to breastfeed their child within an hour of birth and the number will increase in times to come.”
MAXIMUM DONATION WAS RECEIVED AT THE ALWAR MILK BANK WHERE 779 WOMEN DONATED 152,306ML OF MILK THROUGH 1,279 SITTINGS