Mother Milk Bank At Indore Turns Life Saver For 1,000 Newborn Babies

Indore: Mother Milk Bank in Indore has been instrumental in saving the lives of many babies by providing the much-needed breast feed. In the last two years, the Bank has saved the lives of around 1,000 newborns, becoming a role model for the country.

Started in 2023 at the government-run Maharaja Tukoji Rao Women’s Hospital (MTH), this Bank has seen more than 1000 women donate approximately 210 litres of milk. This Bank has played a role in the infant mortality rate dropping from 25% to 11%, sometimes even below 10%. The Bank, which focuses on providing pasteurised human milk to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients, has significantly enhanced the care of premature and high-risk babies in the region.

It has provided nutritious breast milk not just to children in the Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh but also to children from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Bank in-charge and Paediatrician Dr Sunil Arya stated, "Mother's milk is very important for children. If for some reason, a newborn baby does not get mother's milk and is weak, sick, orphaned or pre-term, he dies. Keeping this in mind, the state's first Mother Milk Bank was started in Indore two years ago."

A view from Mother Milk Bank in Indore (ETV Bharat)

Manager Parul Shivhare disclosed, "In the last two years, more than 15,000 pregnant women were counselled here to donate their milk. Out of these, more than 1,000 women donated more than 210 litres, due to which about 1,000 children got a new life."

She explained that the pattern of the milk bank is similar to a blood bank, but the process of storing the donated milk and then making it available to the concerned children is different.

A view from Mother Milk Bank in Indore (ETV Bharat)

"Pregnant women admitted in the hospital, apart from feeding their own child, are counselled by Sister Rajni and Sister Savita of the Bank to donate their milk to other children as well. The donated milk is pasteurised and preserved. It is provided to motherless children or children already registered for milk as per the need, " she added.

Looking at the rising infant mortality rate in many cities due to the lack of mother's milk, the National Health Mission (NHM) identified Indore as a suitable location for establishing the Bank. The MTH built in 2022 was chosen for the purpose as the Gynecology Department of Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) Hospital was relocated there.

The NHM, in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College, established the state’s first Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre (CLMC) or Mother Milk Bank. It had a rough start since it was established towards the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but by March 2023, it was fully operational, providing timely breast milk to newborns in need.

Dean of MGM Medical College, Dr Arvind Ghanghoria. said, "MTH is a role model for other government hospitals in the state. It is being continuously reviewed by the NHM. Now, the NHM will establish Mother Milk Banks in government hospitals under other medical colleges in the state. Indore's Mother Milk Bank will be the role model for this. The process has already started."

He explained that premature or critical newborns admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) are at the highest risk of infection. If they get mother's milk on time, their chances of survival increase manifold. Many times the child is orphaned as the mother dies or due to some reason milk is not produced. In such situations, getting mother's milk becomes difficult. The Bank was started for such situations so that the newborn can get a new life from the nutritious milk of another lady.

Indore's MTH Hospital has approximately 150 beds for pregnant women along with adequate facilities for newborns. The SNCU has a capacity of approximately 60 beds. Women and their newborns are admitted not only from Indore but also from several districts of Malwa-Nimar region including Bhopal, Gwalior, Mandsaur, Guna, Agar Malwa, Jhabua, Khandwa and Burhanpur. Women from the cities in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra that border Madhya Pradesh also come here for treatment and delivery.