CHENNAI: The Institute of Child Health (ICH) in Egmore, which started it’s human milk bank in 2014 and collected around 30 litres of milk a month from willing mothers of babies admitted to the hospital, is receiving almost double that quantity lately, thanks to the active participation of doctors who are mothers and an IAS officer.
One of the doctors, Dr Sravya Boyapati, sends the milk to the ICH from as far as Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. She makes sure she sends as much as 10 litres at a time. “Once my father took it in a car till Redhills, from where a volunteer collected it and dropped it at the ICH. The second time it was my husband who handed it over to a volunteer at the Chennai Airport,” said Sravya.
The young mother said she wanted to donate the milk so that many malnourished babies, who don’t get enough breast milk from their mothers, grow up healthy. As a doctor, she knows how important and nutritious breast milk is.
Sharanya Ari IAS, Deputy Secretary, School Education Department, who donates breast milk to the ICH, said her goal was to donate 100 litres in total so that many babies grow up healthy. It is a misconception that if someone donates breast milk, then their own infants wouldn’t get adequate milk, Sharanya said, adding that many women in the State were unaware of breast-milk donation and waste their milk.
Dr C N Kamalarathnam, head of the Department of Neonatology, ICH, said the institute currently has many donors as many doctors, too, have become participants. Dr S Elilarasi, director of the ICH said, exclusive breast feeding of babies would reduce the incidence of allergy, pneumonia, and diarrhoea. But a lot more needs to be done to achieve the target 100% exclusive breast feeding in TN. Reaching many women is one of the challenges.
Elilarasi told TNIE that in 2020-2021, the institute’s human milk bank collected 290 litres of milk, but this increased to 390 litres in 2021-2022 so far. D Akila Devi, nursing coordinator, Department of Neonatology, ICH, said that in July alone, the ICH collected nearly 77 litres of milk because of active participation of many. Over the last few months, the patronage has increased.
As part of World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7, the ICH organised various activities to spread awareness on breastfeeding. It also honoured donors and volunteers on the valedictory function.
Women who wish to donate breast milk to the Institute of Child Health can contact it’s helpline number 9150622932.