Latest news with #SaritaKhatriTamang
NDTV
3 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Nepal's First Breast Milk Bank Helps Newborn Babies Survive
Nepal's first-ever Human Milk Bank, 'Amrit Kosh,' is a step towards providing baby-friendly health care to low birthweight, premature, and other at-risk newborns. It helps infants with access to breastmilk at the most critical times. The initiative in Kathmandu, funded by UNICEF, the government of Nepal, and other partners, provides hundreds of babies with the nutrition they require to survive and develop. Funding cuts, however, have put plans to grow the services and help more babies in need on hold. Over 15 million premature babies are born each year worldwide. Nepal and other lower-middle-income nations are estimated to have 81,000 premature births annually. Premature babies or those with low birth weight are considerably more at risk of dying during the first month of life. Sarita Khatri Tamang, a new mother, has been unable to breastfeed while she recovers following a C-section delivery in the Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital's Kangaroo Mother Care unit in Kathmandu. Her infant, however, is not left behind because she can get breast milk from other mothers through the hospital's Amrit Kosh. Sushila Nagarkoti is one of the mothers who have contributed to the Kathmandu Milk Bank, Forbes reported. The milk bank is a component of an integrated lactation management centre that the Nepal government founded in 2022 with support from UNICEF and the European Union. The facility ensures that critically unwell neonates, many of whom were born prematurely, receive the right nutrition. The next best thing to a mother's own milk is donated breast milk, which supports about 500 newborns each month. "Human breast milk is the best source of nutrition and guarantees a baby's survival and healthy development," said Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, Director of the Ministry of Health and Population's Family Welfare Division. According to Dr Lal, breast milk supports brain development and benefits both the mother and the child for the rest of their lives. However, plans to establish or expand similar lactation management units in hospitals throughout Nepal have hit a roadblock due to recent financial shortages, impacting UNICEF's capacity to support these projects. Such constraints have also affected other important UNICEF-supported programs, such as counselling and breastfeeding support. Breastfeeding is the healthiest nourishment for babies, particularly during the first six months of life. It is also essential in preventing infections and malnourishment in newborns who are at risk. Exclusive breastfeeding could avert 13 per cent of the annual deaths of children under five globally. In addition to nursing exclusively, early breastfeeding initiation during the first hour of life can reduce the number of newborn fatalities globally by 22 per cent.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Breast Milk Bank Helps Babies Thrive In Nepal
Hundreds of newborns receive the nourishment they need to survive and thrive through a program in Kathmandu supported by UNICEF, the government of Nepal and other partners. But plans to expand the services and reach more babies in need are on hold due to funding cuts. New mother Sarita Khatri Tamang rests with her newborn baby in the Kangaroo Mother Care ward at the UNICEF-supported Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in Kathmandu. © UNICEF/UNI792286/Upadhayay New mother Sarita Khatri Tamang holds her baby close as she lies in a bed recovering from a C-section delivery at Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in Kathmandu. She has been unable to breastfeed, but her baby is not missing out on the breast milk needed for optimal infant nutrition. Thanks to the hospital's Amrit Kosh — Nepal's first human milk bank — she is able to receive breast milk donated by other mothers. "At a time when I could barely stand up because I was in so much pain," Tamang says, "it was such a big support for me." The milk bank is part of a comprehensive lactation management center established in 2022 by the government of Nepal, with support from the European Union and UNICEF. The center ensures proper nourishment for newborns in critical condition, including many born prematurely. Around 500 babies are supported every month with donated breast milk — the next best thing to a mother's own milk. Plans to open or expand similar lactation management units in hospitals across Nepal, particularly in facilities serving large numbers of at-risk newborns, have been put on hold due as recent funding cuts have affected UNICEF's ability to support these initiatives. Funding cuts have also disrupted other key UNICEF-supported services including breastfeeding support and counseling. "The demand is still much higher than what the bank can currently supply on a daily basis," says Dr. Kalpana Upadhyaya Subedi, Chief Consultant Pediatrician and head of the Department of Neonatology at Paropakar. 'Expanding such facilities across the country would ensure that more mothers and babies receive the support they need, reducing neonatal mortality and promoting healthier outcomes for future generations." Breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for babies, especially for the first six months of life. But breast milk is more than a meal. It also plays a critical role in protecting vulnerable infants from infections and malnutrition. On May 2, 2025, Dr. Smriti Poudel counsels new mother Sarita Khatri Tamang at the Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in Kathmandu, where UNICEF supports Nepal's first Human Milk Bank. Expansion plans are on hold due to funding cuts. © UNICEF/UNI792463/Rabik Upadha Nepal faces significant challenges in early childhood nutrition. One in 4 children under age 5 is stunted, and 8 percent are wasted, with limited access to treatment, according to UNICEF. Nearly half of all infants are not exclusively breastfed, and over 1 million children suffer from anemia. 'It makes me happy to think that because of me, lives were saved.' Sushila Nagarkoti is one of the mothers who has donated to the Kathmandu milk bank. "The nurse told me that I was producing a lot of milk and asked if I wanted to donate some; I said okay, since I had more than enough milk for my own child," Nagarkoti says. "It makes me happy to think that because of me, lives were saved." Learn more about UNICEF programs in Asia Your contribution to UNICEF is more important than ever. Please donate. Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.
