Paediatricians call for scaling up human milk banks in Keralam
Paediatricians in Kerala are calling for an expansion of human milk banks to address the critical shortage of breast milk for preterm and sick infants. Medical experts emphasize that increasing donor participation is essential to reduce reliance on formula milk and improve neonatal health outcomes.
Why it matters
Scaling up milk banks is a vital public health intervention to improve survival rates for vulnerable newborns in clinical settings.
Calls for addressing the lactation gap are growing louder, with the paediatric community stressing on the need to scale up human milk banks and encourage breast milk donation. The medical fraternity opines that efforts should be made to bring more donors into the fold to ensure a self-sustaining system.
Lack of awareness, stigma and misconceptions continue to be the key reasons for the low turnout of lactating mothers donating milk at the Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre (CLMC) and Human Milk Banks set up in the Keralam, according to doctors.
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