•The project will be launched by month-end
•The WHO recommends donated human milk as a lifesaving alternative
Image: FILE
Pumwani Hospital will be the first health facility in East Africa to have a milk bank for newborns.
This is a new concept of storing breast milk. It will greatly benefit mothers who cannot produce breast milk for their babies. The project will be launched by month-end.
The WHO recommends donated human milk (DHM) as a lifesaving alternative for children with no access to their mother’s milk.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko yesterday said this will improve maternal healthcare.
Women with milk sometimes have more than enough for their children. The milk banks will store and share the surplus with children in need.
He said the Human Milk Bank project is being funded by the UK through the Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative Plus (MBFI+) for Sh66,550,000.
APHRC states that human milk banks receive, process, store and provide safe DHM to infants who need it. PATH and the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) are supporting the Ministry of Health and other Kenyan stakeholders to tailor the Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative Plus.
“Once operational, the milk bank will help save the lives of the vulnerable babies, such as those who are premature, orphaned or abandoned, through the nutrition benefit of human milk,” British High Commissioner Nic Hailey said.
Nairobi will be the first city in the region to have a state-of-the-art public HMB.
The star has established that Phillips East Africa is already in consultation with Pumwani management on the establishment of this unique bank.
“Machines are already at the hospital and are about to be installed. We shall be launching the project on March 29, 2019,” hospital administrator Geoffrey Mosiera said.
Sonko had said Pumwani would be a regional hub of excellence in the care of premature babies. The World Health Organisation accredited it as a baby-friendly facility in 1992.
“We are glad that the UK government is helping us in this project. This project is very important to Nairobi and Kenya at large. It’s the first ever in East African region,” Sonko said.
According to a report by the African Population and Health Research Centre, human milk has the greatest impact on child survival.
Optimal breastfeeding alone has the potential to avert about 820,000 child deaths globally and reduce child sickness.
The report says many new mothers who are unable to breastfeed usually feed their babies on formula milk, which is not easily digested by the baby.
“These newborns are, therefore, much more likely to suffer from adverse consequences resulting from complications that are preventable or treatable with proven and cost-effective interventions,” it reads.
A new mother who spoke to the Star at Pumwani Hospital said powdered milk is very expensive, especially because it is needed on a regular basis.