KOCHI: Health Minister K K Shailaja inaugurated the state’s first human milk bank — Nectar of Life — at Ernakulam General Hospital via videoconferencing on Friday. “Though the concept of human milk bank was conceived long back and is popular in many countries, it became a reality in Kerala only today,” said the minister. “Breast milk is important for increasing the immunity of infants and the human milk bank at the hospital will help save lives of many children by increasing their immunity," said Shailaja at the function presided over by T J Vinodh, MLA. Actor Pearle Maaney, brand ambassador of Nectar of Life, appreciated the initiative through a video message.
The state-of-the-art facility was set up to ensure breast milk for newborns in the hospital, who are not being breastfed by their mothers who may be sick, deceased or produce insufficient breast milk.
The donors will be mothers who have delivered babies in Ernakulam General Hospital. The collected milk can be stored up to six months safely in the bank.
In the beginning, milk will be provided free of cost to only those babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital. Later, a network of hospitals for multiple collection and safe distribution points will be planned. Although, approximately 3,600 babies are born at the General Hospital a year, 600 to 1,000 sick babies are admitted to the NICU.
Hibi Eden, MP, Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar, R Madhav Chandran, immediate past Governor-District 3201, Jose Chacko, Rotary Governor- District 3201, S Rajmohan Nair, Rotary Governor-Elect - District 3201, Dr Kuttappan, DMO, Ernakulam, Dr T V Ravi, president, IMA and Dr Anitha, superintendent, GH Ernakulam, also spoke on the occasion.