India Opens 102 Lactation Centres to Help Newborn Babies
The Government of India has established 102 Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres (CLMC) and Lactation Management Units (LMU) across the country. These centres aim to provide safe, pasteurized donor human milk and support mothers in expressing their own milk for sick, preterm, and low birth weight babies in intensive care units.
Breast milk is vital for newborns as it offers essential nutrients for growth and development and protects against illnesses like pneumonia, diarrhea, asthma, allergies, childhood obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases in adulthood. For sick newborns in intensive care, access to breast milk can be lifesaving, helping to prevent conditions such as late-onset sepsis, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, and retinopathy.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, shared this information in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Reports from the States and Union Territories for the fiscal year 2023-24 indicate that there are currently 52 Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres and 50 Lactation Management Units operational nationwide.
Doubts Revealed
Lactation Centres -: These are special places where mothers can get help with breastfeeding and where milk from other mothers can be safely given to babies who need it.
Pasteurized -: This means heating the milk to a certain temperature to kill any harmful germs, making it safe for babies to drink.
Donor Human Milk -: This is milk given by other mothers who have extra milk. It is cleaned and made safe for babies who need it.
Preterm -: This means babies who are born too early, before they are fully developed.
Low Birth Weight -: This means babies who are born weighing less than 2.5 kilograms, which is less than most newborns.
Anupriya Patel -: She is a minister in the Indian government who shared this information with the Lok Sabha, which is a part of India’s Parliament.
Lok Sabha -: This is one of the two houses of India’s Parliament where important decisions and laws are made.
CLMCs -: This stands for Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres, which help mothers with breastfeeding and provide safe milk for babies.
LMUs -: This stands for Lactation Management Units, which are smaller centres that also help with breastfeeding and provide safe milk for babies.
