Best Practices - Paediatrics
HUMAN MILK BANK
Provision of human milk from the bank to the needy new-borns and infants.A human milk bank (or lactarium) collects, screens, processes, pasteurizes, and dispenses donated breast milk to premature or sick infants who need it, acting as a vital resource for high-risk newborns when mothers can’t breastfeed, ensuring safe nutrition through rigorous testing and processing, similar to blood banks. These banks serve babies in neonatal units, offering a life-saving alternative to formula, with processes involving donor screening, pooling milk, pasteurization (like Holder pasteurization), and final testing to guarantee safety and nutrient quality.
KANGAROO MOTHER CARE
Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a life-saving technique for premature or low birth weight babies, involving continuous skin-to-skin contact (like a kangaroo carrying its joey), exclusive breastfeeding, and early hospital discharge, proven to keep babies warm, reduce infections, improve feeding, and strengthen the bond between baby and caregiver, recommended as standard care by the World Health Organization. Separate ward for kangaroo mother care.
NUTRITIONAL REHABILITATION CENTRE
A Nutritional Rehabilitation Center (NRC) is a health facility, often part of India’s National Health Mission, that provides intensive, facility-based care for children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications, focusing on therapeutic feeding, medical management, and crucial education for mothers/caregivers on nutrition, hygiene, and childcare to ensure sustainable recovery and prevent relapse.