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In a significant move to enhance neonatal care, the Government of India has established Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres (CLMCs) aimed at providing essential nutrition to sick, preterm, and low birth weight babies in intensive care units. This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to improving the survival and health outcomes of vulnerable newborns across the country.
Breast milk is widely recognized for its unparalleled benefits, supplying newborns with vital nutrients essential for their growth and development. It also offers a protective shield against various illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhea, and against chronic conditions like asthma, allergies, childhood obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases later in life. For sick newborns in intensive care, access to breast milk is particularly critical, offering life-saving benefits through early initiation and exclusive feeding.
Recognizing the crucial role of breast milk in neonatal care, the Government of India has established CLMCs to ensure the availability of safe, pasteurized donor human milk and Lactation Management Units (LMUs). These centers facilitate the expression of a mother’s own milk for feeding sick, preterm, and low birth weight infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs). This initiative is instrumental in preventing prematurity-related morbidities such as late-onset sepsis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, and retinopathy.
According to reports from various States and Union Territories for the fiscal year 2023-24, there are currently 52 operational CLMCs and 50 LMUs across the country. This extensive network ensures that the benefits of breast milk are accessible to the most vulnerable newborns, significantly improving their chances of survival and long-term health.
This information was provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. The establishment of these centers marks a pivotal step in India’s efforts to bolster neonatal care and underscores the government’s dedication to the health and well-being of its youngest citizens.
