Pumwani maternity hospital human milk bank becomes the fisrt and of its kind in the country.
The initiative will help babies who cannot get breast milk from their mothers for various underlying reasons such as death, poor health or absence.
Lactating mothers with spare milk are being urged to donate to the milk bank to be used by the vulnerable newborns to save lives.
Mother’s milk has always been recommended as the best for babies because it contains important nutrients that are vital for survival and growth.
It will also help reduce the use of milk formula or other breast milk substitutes.
Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko appealed health practitioners to be more vigilant, while undertaking the process.
”As health experts, you are required to ensure that milk is well screened and free from viruses that can be transmitted to the infants,” said the governor.
Pumwani maternity hospital has a capacity of 150 baby cots, with a daily occupancy of 60 infants, out of which 10 to 12 are in need of donor human milk.
The milk bank, which will be among over 100 human milk banks globally, is a joint initiative by the Ministry of Health and PATH, a US-based non-profit health organization.
