India welcomes its first Pasteurised Human Milk Bank

New Delhi, April 27: Breaking all stereotypes and conventions, the first pasteurised human milk bank has been opened in Delhi and the National Capital region. A branch was opened at Fortis La Femme in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The 'Amaraa' milk bank was opened in collaboration with Fortis La Femme (a specialised hospital for women and newborns in New Delhi) and a non-profit organization Breast Milk Foundation. This initiative will make breast milk available to underweight infants.

Fortis Healthcare CEO Bhavdeep Singh justified the move saying, "India faces its own set of unique health challenges, one of them being the high vulnerability associated with pre-term babies who are significantly under-weight. Providing human breast milk to these fragile neonates can substantially cut the risk of infection and help save their lives. Keeping in mind the physiological inability of the mother in many cases to breastfeed, human milk banks assume great importance."

Although human milk banks are common worldwide, it is new to India with just 14 such banks across the nation. This initiative was started in line with the World Health Organization's Millennium Development Goals to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate.

OneIndia News