human milk bank at the maternity hospital is saving the lives of newborns in danger
Vulnerable newborns born in other hospitals are now receiving breast milk from the Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Thapathali, which has been operating a human milk bank. According to hospital doctors, the milk bank’s goal is to save babies’ lives, no matter where they are born. The hospital’s human milk bank was established around two years ago with the goal of lowering infant mortality. Despite a number of actions taken by health authorities, the number of newborn fatalities has not decreased. According to doctors, feeding critically unwell neonates and low-weight newborns in intensive care units can greatly lower their risk of infection. The bank gathers, examines, pasteurizes, and keeps donation milk from nursing moms.
According to hospital officials, infants hospitalized to the critical care unit require 1.5 to 2.5 liters of breast milk. The human milk bank exclusively gathers excess milk from other nursing moms, which is subsequently analyzed, pasteurized, and kept at minus 40 degrees Celsius. It also collects milk directly from mothers of newborns sent to hospitals. By 2030, the government wants to lower newborn mortality to 12 deaths for every 1,000 live births, which is the Sustainable Development Goal. To encourage exclusive breastfeeding, the Ministry of Health and Population has started a number of initiatives, such as employing staff nurses. Thirteen percent of mortality in children under five might be avoided with exclusive breastfeeding.
