CHENNAI: The Institute of Child Health (ICH) honoured lactating mothers who turned breast milk donors, during the World Breastfeeding Week celebrations at the hospital on Thursday.
The Neonatology department of the Institute of Child Health has organised various programmes from August 1 to 7. The department will also conduct awareness on breast milk for college and school students in the adolescent age group, said Dr C N Kamalarathinam, head, Neonatalogy department, Institute of Child Health.
Chief guest of the programme, Dr J Kumutha, Expert Advisor for Child Health, State National Health Mission and head, Department of Neonatology, Saveetha Medical College, also honoured breast milk donors and also a volunteer, M Ashok Kumar, a college student who collects the breastfeed from the donors and delivers it to the hospital.
Speaking at the event, Dr Kumutha said, ”In India, one lakh children are dying due to lack of adequate breast milk. While 34.7 million children are affected with diarrhoea, 2.4 million children are affected with pneumonia, and around 40,000 children are suffering from obesity. Over 8,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.”
“As per National Family Health Survey-4, in Tamil Nadu, only 54.7 per cent of mothers initiate early breastfeeding and only 48.3 per cent feed exclusive breast milk for six months. Not only mothers, but the families of lactating mothers also should support them,” Dr Kumutha added.
Dr Kamalarathinam said there is still shortage of breast milk in the Institution though more lactating mothers are coming forward to donate breast milk to the hospital. “The department is also mulling over launching Mobile Breast Milk Bank to conduct breast milk camps and also to spread awareness about the feed among lactating mothers. We are still studying its feasibility. If everything works out, we will launch it soon. Then we will be able to meet our hospital need and also be able to supply to others,” the doctor added.
M K Seeni, Research Officer, Research and Development department, Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy, also spoke about non-allopathic measures to enhance breast milk production. Dr K Jayachandran, Director and Superintendent, Institute of Child Health and others also spoke.
The Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Children and Women and other hospitals also organised awareness rallies on breastfeeding. The theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week is: ‘Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding’.