Kathmandu, August 1
The government says it will establish a human milk bank to collect breastmilk for newborns to address problems seen in breastfeeding.
Organising a press conference on the occasion of the beginning of the World Breastfeeding Week, the Family Welfare Division of the Department of Health Services says the bank will be established at the Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital (Prasuti Griha) in Kathmandu.
Because children up to six months of age should be exclusively fed on breastmilk, the bank will collect milk for the women who produce surplus milk and preserve it for other children, informs Kedar Raj Parajuli, the chief of the nutrition section under the division.
Parajuli claims the project launched as per the advice of concerned doctors will come into operation within one year.
It has been learned that the government is spending Rs 10 million to procure machines to process and store the milk.
