Current Context: Uttarakhand plans to set up a ‘Mother Milk Bank,’ the first such facility in India. The aim is to reduce infant mortality rate and provide mother’s milk to newborns who lose their mothers during childbirth. The bank will collect milk from lactating women who are willing to donate.
- The project will be launched under the National Health Mission (NHM) with an initial budget of Rs 1 crore.
- The bank will be set up at Doon Medical College Hospital in Dehradun and will cater to newborns admitted in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the state.
- The health department has identified 10 NICUs where refrigerators will be installed to store donated milk. The milk will be pasteurized and tested before being given to babies.
- The health minister said that under this scheme, lactating women will be able to donate milk to the bank. He also appealed to NGOs and social workers to spread awareness about this initiative.
Question:
Q.1 What is the main aim of setting up a mother milk bank in Uttarakhand?a. To provide breast milk to babies whose mothers are unable to breastfeed them
b. To reduce the infant mortality rate in Uttarakhand and to give nutritional elements of mother’s milk to newborns whose mothers died during childbirth
c. To collect and store excess breast milk from lactating women for future use
d. To promote breastfeeding awareness and education among women and families
