As per a recent report, 25 breastfeeding clinics will be set up in 13 districts across Rajasthan where new mothers will be taught about the importance of breastfeeding. This effort is being taken in order to reduce the neonatal and infant mortality rate and to ensure a healthy future for the mothers and infants.
The revelation was made by Devendra Agarwal, an advisor to the State Health Department for Aanchal Mother’s milk bank project. He also said that mother’s milk is the cheapest solution to bring down infant mortality rate. These clinics will be set up in districts where there is high delivery load and it will be completed by the end of this fiscal year.
The project is worth INR 2 Crores and the cost will be borne by the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation LTD (RIICO). Apart from breastfeeding facilitation, these clinics will also provide counseling, training, and treatment of lactating mothers.
The women will be immediately shifted to the breastfeeding clinic after giving birth to the child. This would ensure that the infant can have mother’s milk within an hour of being born. Besides, the mother will be taught how to hold and baby and feed him/her.
Mr. Agarwal also revealed that with the establishment of these breastfeeding clinics, the infant mortality rate can be reduced by 22%. Besides, the survival chances of new-borns can be extended to six-fold and the recovery of neonates in the Sick New Born Care Unit will be 40% faster.
As per the officials, these clinics will be helpful especially for mothers who have premature deliveries. Also, it will offer aid in cases where the newborns with cleft lips are unable to suck or because of retraction of nipples and non-formation of milk, etc.
These breastfeeding clinics will be counseling family members of the new mothers about not give them honey, water, ghutti, etc for the first six months of their birth. The clinics will be set up in places like Baran, Chittorgarh, Alwar, Tonk, Churu, Sirohi, Banswara, Bharatpur, Udaipur, Jaipur, Beawar, Bhilwara and Bundi.
