A maternal breast milk bank named Amruthadhare is being set up at the Ballari Medical College and Research Center to support premature, malnourished, and low birth weight infants.
With 25 to 30 deliveries occurring daily at VIMS Bellary, specialized maternal and child care services are already in place. However, premature births and underweight infants remain common. To ensure these vulnerable babies do not face a shortage of mother’s milk, plans for the milk bank were initiated.
The project is being funded with ₹25 lakh from the Bellary Municipal Corporation and ₹50 lakh from the District Administration, amounting to a total of ₹75 lakh. Construction is in its final phase, and the facility will have a storage capacity of 510 milk bottles.
Karnataka continues to report high rates of malnutrition, premature deliveries, and low birth weight infants. Due to limited access to existing milk banks, many parents often turn to cow’s milk or porridge to compensate for the lack of breast milk.
Lactating mothers can also donate excess breast milk, especially in cases where the newborn is unwell or has passed away. Proper storage arrangements have been made at VIMS to preserve donated milk safely.