DT Health: More human milk banks can reduce infant mortality

Human milk banks can bridge gap between demand and availability of donor milk. The recent “Infant Protection Day’ brings to focus the need on raising awareness about the importance of breastfeeding for the survival, health and well-being of mothers and children and for the benefit of communities.

India has the second highest under-five mortality rate in the world (0.78 million deaths in 2020), which may be attributed to several causes, including childhood illnesses, inadequate access to healthcare, poor water and sanitation and sub-optimal breastfeeding.

There is substantial evidence that breastfeeding promotes cognitive development, lowers the risk of death and averts childhood illnesses and malnutrition. Mothers who breastfeed their children have preventive benefits against developing breast and ovarian cancer.

Increased breastfeeding is thought to be able to prevent 8,23,000 child deaths and 20,000 maternal deaths globally each year.

“Breast milk meets all the energy and nutrients needs of an infant for the first six months of life. While nearly every mother and parent knows that exclusive breastfeeding is the best for newborn babies, but we are yet to achieve 100 per cent breastfeeding,” said Dr Sathiya Rathini, Consultant Neonatology & Pediatrics, Motherhood Hospital.

The number of premature births in India is estimated to be around 3.5 million, which is an alarming 13 per cent of the total babies born each year.

“Improving accessibility to donor human milk can help achieve higher breastfeeding rates thereby contributing to a lower neonatal mortality rate. Accessibility and availability of screened and pasteurized donor milk for these infants can be lifesaving, but to meet the nutritional needs of these infants, India must do a lot more. It is estimated that the country needs at least 1,300 functional milk banks compared to the 90 that exist today,” said Dr Sathiya.

Clearly, there is tremendous potential for scaling up human milk banking systems in India and public-private collaborations should be prioritised with generous financial support for R&D in neonatal healthcare to bridge the gap in this critical public health need. Milk banks can contribute immensely to this cause, especially with stronger assistance from different governments,” added Dr Sathiya.