Function held to felicitate moms for donating milk

Jaipur: The state government is strengthening its human milk bank network aiming to reduce infant mortality rate (IMR). For the first time, the health department organised a state level function held in Jaipur on Monday for felicitating mothers for donating milk at human milk bank.

On the occasion, principal secretary, health, Veenu Gupta said with more women donating milk, it will help reducing IMR in the state. "There are some studies which show that by providing mother's milk to newborn, it will bring down infant mortality by 22%," Gupta said.

Gupta said that there are 11 human milk banks functioning in the state and soon seven more such mothers' milk banks would come up.

She said that the government has restricted supply of bovine milk in district hospitals where mothers' milk banks are functional now.

Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin 2016, released recently, shows that Rajasthan is among five big states of the country having highest IMR. The IMR in the state is 41 deaths per 1,000 live births.

In the state, 11,266 women donated 23.33 lakh units of milk since 2013, which has benefitted more than 60,000 infants.

Among those women felicitated was a 33-year-old housewife, Seema Singh, resident of Udaipur. She had never thought that the initiative in which she was taking part in 2013 will turn into a revolution for helping newborn to survive and remain healthy.

She was the first woman donating milk for human milk bank in northern India. "At that time, there was only one human milk bank in northern India. She took the initiative and donated milk for newborn deprived of mothers' milk due to certain medical reasons," said, Yog Guru Devendra Agarwal, who is facilitating the government in establishing the mother's milk bank network as state advisor.

After Singh's initiative, 11,266 women have donated milk since 2013 in different human milk banks in the state. "I am happy that I was first to donate it for deprived newborn children. But, at the same time, I have a qualm that I have done it only once. I wish I would have done it some more times for benefit of neonates," said Singh.

Singh was felicitated at a state-level function organised at Panchayati Raj Department's auditorium on Monday. It was for the first time, when women were facilitated by the state government for donating milk.

Singh said that mother's milk help developing immunity in fighting against diseases. A woman donated milk for 299 times so far in Udaipur's human milk bank. She has also been felicitated.