Delhi AIIMS launches Payodhi milk bank for critically ill preterm babies

New Delhi: To enhance neonatal care, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has launched ''Payodhi'', a human milk bank aimed at supporting critically ill preterm babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This initiative is a significant step in addressing the nutritional needs of vulnerable infants, particularly preterm babies, who rely on their mother's milk for survival and development. 

Medical experts emphasize that mother’s milk is essential for newborns, especially for premature infants who are more susceptible to infections and health complications. However, not all mothers are able to breastfeed due to medical conditions or other constraints. For these cases, pasteurized donor human milk is the safest and most effective alternative, aligning with both World Health Organization (WHO) and Indian government guidelines.

Before the establishment of Payodhi, AIIMS partnered with Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) to facilitate the pasteurization of donor milk. The staff would transport the donated milk to LHMC, ensuring proper cold chain maintenance throughout the process.

However, with the establishment of Payodhi in September 2024, AIIMS has taken a major leap in enhancing its neonatal care infrastructure. The milk bank, which is managed by the Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics, is designed to cater specifically to the needs of infants in the NICU, offering a wide range of services including maternal counselling, surplus milk donation, pasteurization, and storage.

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This milk helps provide essential nutrition to 15 to 18 preterm babies in the NICU. In some cases, mothers donate even larger quantities, ranging from 25 to 50 litres, to help their babies and others during their hospitalization. These services are provided free of charge. She further explained that preterm neonates in the NICU require maternal milk for optimal health and development.

The introduction of Payodhi is particularly important for infants whose mothers are either deceased or unable to express milk. In such cases, donor milk becomes a lifeline, providing essential nutrition to babies. This process involves extensive screening of mothers for conditions such as HIV and hepatitis, as well as lifestyle assessments to ensure the safety and suitability of the donated milk.

The collection and distribution services are exclusively available to mothers and infants admitted to AIIMS. The operation of a human milk bank involves several crucial stages to ensure the safe collection, storage, and distribution of donor milk to infants.

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Payodhi is not the only human milk bank initiative making strides in neonatal care. In December of the previous year, Safdarjung Hospital also inaugurated a Lactation Management Unit (LMU). These initiatives are part of a larger movement towards improving healthcare outcomes for premature and critically ill infants.