India is home to the world’s highest proportion of “small babies” with 46.9 per cent of babies born small for gestational age, contributing to 29 per cent neonatal deaths each year – the most in the world – with prematurity (babies born before 37 weeks) being the leading cause. Ensuring access to human milk is the key for these at-risk babies to survive and thrive.
It is proven that breastfeeding can prevent as much as 14 per cent of under-five deaths that occur globally each year.
The Government of India is leading initiatives to improve breastfeeding through community mobilization and mass media campaigns like the recently launched “MAA” (mothers’ absolute affection) campaign, as well as improving facility and community-based breastfeeding support.
To address the need of human milk for vulnerable babies, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is formulating guidelines to provide donor human milk through human milk banks to babies admitted in the intensive care units.
The model proposed by the government is an integrated platform that provides safe donor human milk to vulnerable babies in the absence of mother’s own milk, supports mothers to breastfeed, and encourages “kangaroo mother care” as it improves breastfeeding.
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