Stakeholders at a health forum have proposed the establishment of a breast milk bank at health facilities to support exclusive breastfeeding. The initiative, if implemented will help promote the advocacy on breastfeeding among nursing mothers exclusively for a period of six months. This will also benefit lactating mothers who, based on health grounds or other factors cannot exclusively breastfeed their babies for the recommended period.
A professor at the School of Medical Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof Akua Plange-Rhule said this during a maiden Lactation Conference organised for health practitioners by HopeXchange Medical Centre in Kumasi. The three-day conference educated the health workers on topics such as understanding the anatomy and physiology of breast milk and breastfeeding and the latest research on breastfeeding and its benefit.
Throwing more light on the breast milk bank initiative, Professor Plange-Rhule explained that exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers was essential and it was necessary to institute measures to promote and support the advocacy. Describing how the breast milk bank would operate, Professor Plange-Rhule said the operation would be similar to that of the blood bank where clients would walk in, purchase blood to save a relative.
She mentioned the Paediatric Society of Ghana and other health bodies that were interested in the initiative adding “there are conversations, studies and research works going on, on the best way to operate and lot of things have to be put in place to make sure of the acceptability”. She called for more stakeholder engagement as well as government support for the initiative to be implemented to support and encourage exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers.
Some African countries including South Africa, according Prof Plange-Rhule were operating the breast milk bank system. She was optimistic the initiative was possible in Ghana as well.
