Rotary Amruth – Dakshina Kannada’s first human milk bank inaugurated at Lady Goschen Hospital

Mangaluru: Rotary Amruth, Dakshina Kannada’s first human milk bank, was inaugurated at the Lady Goschen Hospital here on Saturday, March 5.

Deputy Commissioner Dr. Rjendra KV, in his keynote address, said that mothers’ breast milk is lifesaving for any baby. Donating breast milk does not have any side effects on the health of the mothers or children who drink this milk. There is no need for mothers to worry about this, he said.

It is natural for mothers to worry that breast milk may not be enough for their baby if they donate breast milk. There is no need to be anxious about breast milk donation. The milk removed is soon reproduced by the mother, explained Dr. Rajendra KV who is also a medical graduate.

He further urged new mothers to consider donating excess breast milk so that the lives of children in need could be saved.

The human milk bank has been installed by the Rotary Club at a cost of Rs35 lakh using funds from the Rotary Global Grant of the Rotary Foundation in the USA. The center has skilled staff to manage the milk bank who have been trained by doctors from another milk bank in Bengaluru.

The facilities of Rotary Amruth will be used to serve the needs at Lady Goschen Hospital, which caters to “High Risk” and “Very High Risk” pregnancy cases. Dr. Durga Prasad said the hospital has 600 to 700 deliveries per month, of which about 120 children need neonatal critical care in NICU units. Breastmilk can remedy most of the issues for these newborns, the doctor added.

The human milk bank at  Lady Goschen Hospital is the 2nd such facility in the state and 9th in India to come up at a government hospital.  The first unit at a government facility started operation in Bengaluru two years ago.  Four private hospitals in Bengaluru also offer these facilities.